University of Chicago Student Hit By Bullet On CTA Train Dies

CHICAGO — A University of Chicago student has died days after being hit by a stray bullet while sitting on a CTA train.

Max Lewis, 20, was sitting on a CTA Green train at the 51st Street/Washington Street Station around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, when he was struck in the back of the neck by a stray bullet. Lewis was returning home from his summer internship in the Loop when he was shot.

The injured student was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. The Cook County Medical Examiner reported Lewis died Sunday.

Chicago police do not believe that Lewis was the intended target.

Lewis was from Denver, Colorado. His mother, Dr. Rebecca Rivkin, told WGN her son was paralyzed from the neck down in the shooting and was on a ventilator to help him breathe. He was alert and able to communicate by blinking his eyes once for yes, twice for no.

His prognosis was that he would never walk or eat again, nor breathe on his own. Rivkin said her son spelled out a message on a letter board that “If I have to live like this, pull the plug please. Seriously.”

Lewis was taken off life support on Sunday.

A GoFundMe for the former president of his fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi has exceeded its $20,000 goal and has raised over $58,000.

“Max was an intelligent, caring, compassionate member of the UChicago community and a dear friend to many,” said Lewis’s friend Max Rosenblum, who is organizing the campaign. “He is known amongst friends, peers, and classmates for his kindness, goofiness, grit, impeccable work ethic, and most importantly, his unfailingly genuine soul. He will be sorely missed.”

The University of Chicago released a statement on Monday:

“The University of Chicago community is devastated by the loss of Max Solomon Lewis, an undergraduate student who has passed away from injuries related to being shot while sitting in an off-campus Chicago Transit Authority elevated train on Thursday, July 1. Our deepest sympathies are with Max’s family, friends, and all who knew him. He was a talented student and beloved individual who will be greatly missed.”