Cleveland police are investigating an armed carjacking and a shooting of a college student near Case Western Reserve University on Saturday night.
The university issued a statement on Facebook.
(Update as of Sunday at 5 p.m.— Case Western Reserve University president will address the campus community at 7 p.m. via live stream on their Facebook page.)
The student was shot in the torso in a rear lot located off the 2000 block of Murray Hill Road, school officials said on Facebook. Officials said the student was shot when two men attempted to carjack him.
The 20-year-old undergraduate student was moved from the intensive care unit Sunday after undergoing surgery. The student was transferred to a regular room for recovery.
The victim's friends reportedly heard gunfire and then located him injured in the lot. The 20-year-old victim told police that he had been robbed and shot by two men, Cleveland police said.
After the shooting, University Circle police saw two men matching the victim's description of the men at a nearby RTA station. The two men allegedly fled and entered a ditch refusing to exit and gunfire was exchanged, police said.
Authorities said one person was arrested and another one was injured in the shooting. A total of four University Circle police officers were involved.
Students News 5 spoke to said they believe the university handled the situation well, but this scary situation serves as a reminder to everyone.
"I think people are going to be more careful. I mean, I might think twice coming back from the gym at 830 p.m. on a Saturday night," said Patrick Ellsworth, a student at Case Western Reserve University.
Barbara Synder, president of Case Western Reserve University, wanted to reassure students that the university is taking even more precautions to keep students safe. School officials said they will be stepping up security and a heavier police presence will be visible around campus.
"It is difficult to be able to guarantee that we can prevent instances like this from ever happening but that’s what I would love to be able to say, believe me, more than anything, I would love to be able to say it and deliver on it. but we can’t do that because we don’t control everything that happens," said Synder.
Cleveland police will investigate the use of force by University Circle police and the initial carjacking. The University Circle officers involved in the shooting are on leave during the investigation, per standard policy.
Anyone with information about the shooting or having an emergency is asked to call campus security at 216-368-3333. The shooting is still under investigation.
