Math grad student killed off campus

Half Hollow Hills H.S. West '93 Dix Hills, N. Y. In an act of senseless violence, fifth-year Mathematics graduate student Al-Moez Alimohamed was shot and killed at 47th and Pine streets last August as students were preparing to return to campus. Alimohamed, 27, was shot once in the chest after five men robbed him of a small amount of money and personal belongings at about 11:20 p.m. across the street from his off-campus apartment. Plainclothes Philadelphia Police officers witnessed the robbery, but were unable to prevent the shooting. Eighteen-year-old Antoine Saunders, two 15-year-olds and two 16-year-olds have been charged with murder, robbery, theft, receiving stolen property, conspiracy and possession of an instrument of crime. All of the suspects will be charged as adults and are currently awaiting trial in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. In response to the homicide, University and city officials held a press conference at the 18th District Police Mini-Station at 50th Street and Baltimore Avenue three days after the shooting. At the conference, University President Judith Rodin characterized the murder as a "tragic event." "We are concerned about the safety of our students," Rodin said to an audience of about 40 reporters and residents from the immediate neighborhood. "[Violent crime] is not a West Philadelphia problem, but a problem that affects the whole city." In addition to the press conference, a candlelight vigil and a memorial service were held to remember Alimohamed and express outrage over the incident. Alimohamed's parents, who live in Vancouver, Canada, attended the memorial service in October. They thanked the University community for its support and shared anecdotes about their son. "He probably had the purest heart I could think of," said Iqbal Alimohamed, Al-Moez Alimohamed's father. "The last six months Moez was on top of the world. It couldn't have been more perfect." In honor of Alimohamed, the Mathematics Department will establish a teaching prize for graduate math students in his name. And Alimohamed received his doctorate posthumously in December. In an unrelated incident last summer, Wharton senior Samir Shah was shot in the abdomen during a botched robbery. Shah and two friends were entering a house at 39th and Pine streets, adjacent to the Veterinary School, when two masked men approached them and demanded their money. After the students resisted, one assailant shot Shah with a 9-mm handgun. Shah was taken to HUP and has since made a full recovery. There were no arrests or suspects in that case.

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