A university student died after being struck by a stray bullet while riding a Chicago train last week, according to reports.
Max Solomon Lewis, a 20-year-old Colorado native, was shot in the neck as he commuted home from an internship on an elevated train in Washington Park on Thursday.
“Police say he wasn’t the intended target. Investigators have yet to provide a possible description of the shooter. It’s not even clear which direction the gunfire came from,” the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Lewis was rushed to University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition.
“His mom, Dr. Rebecca Rivkin, told WGN News the bullet paralyzed Max from the neck down. The prognosis was that he would never walk or eat again, and he’d likely need a ventilator for the rest of his life,” WGN News reports.
Lewis was reportedly alert in the hospital and communicated to his family and doctors by blinking.
His mother says he signaled to her that he would prefer to die than continue living in a severely paralyzed state.
“If I have to live like this, pull the plug please. Seriously,” Lewis reportedly told his family.
After fighting for his life for days, he was taken off life support on Sunday, WGN reported.
“We were crying with the families of other victims of gun violence a the hospital. This is another senseless loss.”
University of Chicago student Max Lewis was shot and killed by a stray bullet on the CTA Green Line.
More from his loved ones at 5 &6 @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/DOfV560tNk
— Megan Hickey (@MeganHickeyTV) July 5, 2021
