THE ’BIRD THE VIDETTE PRESENTS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 Vol. 129 / No. 12
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Standing strong
U of I looks for ‘silver lining’ in shadow of weekend shooting MARY CULLEN News Editor
T
he shooting that brought the University of Illinois campus “to its knees” Sunday shook more than just the Urbana-Champaign community. U of I Student Body President Ron Lewis addressed the crowd at a vigil held Tuesday for the victim. He noted how the actions of one man had such an impact on the community. “One person who couldn’t handle a conflict well, and now we’re all sitting here today. The
fact that one person could bring the University to its knees as we mourn the life of George Korchev. But today, together, tonight, we have the power,” Lewis said. George Korchev was visiting friends at the University to celebrate the start of his nursing career. Erik Lasaine, also present at the vigil, was among those friends. Lasaine recalled the events of the evening, saying he had no way of knowing the night would unfold the way it did. It started with a gathering at Lasaine’s apartment where he, Korchev and some of their
friends were getting ready to go out. After going to a party, the group headed back to Lasaine’s apartment. Along the way, they cut across the parking lot behind Evergreen Tobacco off of Green Street. “What we did not know was that there was a fight that went down in those apartments right there. As we were almost back across the parking lot, there were loud pops,” Lasaine recalled. After immediately placing his hand on his back, he noticed that what he thought was sweat was actually blood. see VIGIL page 2
ABOVE: University of Illinois students gathered for a vigil honoring the life lost Sunday morning after a shooting took place just blocks from campus. Despite fear, the community has come together to support one another during this time.
Photograph by KELLY MCNAMARA | Vidette Photo Editor
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