MUNDELEIN MAN KILLED IN SHOOTING ON U. OF I. CAMPUS
Police say victim was bystander to fight that began at party
Daily Herald
A Mundelein man shot to death early Sunday when gunfire erupted on the University of Illinois campus in Champaign was an innocent bystander, authorities say.
George Korchev, 22, was one of five people to suffer gunshot wounds in separate, but possibly related, shootings stemming from an altercation at a party.
Authorities say Korchev was walking in the area when the shooting occurred and not involved in the altercation that proceeded it. Police were searching for suspects, but as of Sunday night no one was in custody.
Korchevwas pursuing a career in medicine. Friend Justin Konieczny described him as an “all- around amazing guy” who cared deeply about his family, school and work.
“( Korchev) was always smiling and laughing and making sure everyone around him was as well,” Konieczny said. “Mundelein will miss George for a long time.”
A man who answered the door at the Korchev family home in Mundelein declined to comment Sunday.
Having recently passed his nursing board exam, Korchev was expected to start a new position Monday as a registered nurse at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, according to a statement fromhospital President Dominica Tallarico. He was previously a patient care technician.
“George was a valuable team member who was loved by his patients and known as a skilled, empathetic and selfless caregiver,” she said.
Korchev’s career path was true to his character, Konieczny said, as his end goal was always to help others.
He was a 2012 graduate of Mundelein High School, Ron Girard, public information officer for Mundelein High School District 120, confirmed in an email. The school’s counseling staff will be available Monday to help students who might need support, he said.
Jennifer Wylie Fallon, who taught Korchev at Mundelein High, said he stands out among the hundreds of students she’s instructed in her 25 years at the school.
“George is the kind of kid you remember right away because he had personality plus,” she said. “Not all students want to be interactive with their teachers, but he was. It’s the kids that are interactive with you that leave a long- lasting impression.”
Champaign Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen issued a statement calling the shooting “senseless gun violence.”
“On behalf of the City of Champaign, my thoughts and prayers go out to the family of George Korchev, and the other innocent victims of the tragic shootings earlier this morning,” she said.
According to a statement from Jeff Christensen, chief of the University of Illinois Police Department, Korchev was not a student at the university. One of the injured victims is a student, he said.
A candlelight vigil to remember Korchev and pray for the other shooting victims will be held 7 p. m. Tuesday on the University of Illinois’ Main Quad.
Korchev and three others were found shot at 12: 38 a. m. Sunday by police responding to reports of shots fired on the 300 block of East Green Street, according to a statement from Champaign police.