Chicago Area Local News

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Police on Tuesday have been interviewing people in the murder of a University of Chicago graduate student last week, but they say no one is formally in custody.

Investigators say they have questioned at least three people. Those people reportedly have given information that could link as many as five attacks in the area. None of those questioned, however, are being called suspects at this point.

In regard to solving the murder, one university official said, "The sooner the better."

Amadou Cisse, 29, was shot in the chest in the early morning Nov. 19 near his off-campus apartment in the Woodlawn neighborhood near 61st Street and Ellis Avenue. The shooting prompted campus security upgrades as well as the murder investigation.

The graduate student from Senegal was almost done with his schooling. Cisse was a teaching assistant for general chemistry classes and was to receive his diploma Dec. 7, but now the university says it will award the degree posthumously.

Police have made strides in the case. They found a car in the Beverly neighborhood that matched the getaway vehicle. The vehicle had been captured on surveillance tape, and police worked to lift fingerprints from it.

Meanwhile, university officials are doing what they can to make students feel safer on campus.

In a letter to university students, President Robert Zimmer said extra precautions had been taken to ensure safety on campus. First, the university police have increased patrols on campus and in the surrounding neighborhood. They have dispatched 50 percent more U. of C. police patrols between 4 p.m. and midnight, and have doubled the number of patrols after midnight. More bicycle patrols have also been added, the letter said.

Two new vans have also been added to the SafeRide late night van service, which transports students for free, the letter said. Hours for the van have expanded, and efforts are underway to start it at dusk. In addition, a "visible" police substation is being set up on the southern part of the campus until the university police headquarters moves from its current location at 55th Street and Ellis Avenue to a new facility 61st Street and Drexel Avenue, the letter said. The new facility will be staffed 24 hours a day.

In addition, Zimmer said he plans to meet with Mayor Richard M. Daley to brainstorm ways to reduce crime near the campus.

The Woodlawn neighborhood where the homicide happened has been undergoing redevelopment and has seen an influx of students and others affiliated with the university over the past several years. The site of Cisse's murder was also less than a block from the Burton-Judson undergraduate dormitory, and a short walk from the university's Law School and Social Service Administration school.

Some students say they do not feel 100 percent safe in the neighborhood surrounding the university.

"Everyone's been pretty somber, and it's just really unfortunate and sad for all of us," said graduate student Christina Johnson.

"I've definitely used the SafeRide program a lot more, and the shuttles as well, and SafeRide – I think it's great that they've expanded it a lot, both the hours and the number of shuttles running," said graduate student Melissa Fish. "It's door-to-door service, so it's so much safer, I think."

"I think people are really concerned," said economics student Jessica Fulton. "People are a little bit more jumpy about safety."

The university offered a security forum Monday night, and another one is planned for Wednesday.

The U. of C. is also considering having an external security firm review safety plans already in place.

Community leaders say they're encouraged by the progress.

"We hope that in this investigation, the individuals that have been apprehended can shed some light on this incident," said 20th Ward Ald. Willie B. Cochran.

Cochran is looking forward to discussions on ways the university can add more surveillance cameras as well as stretch the geographical boundaries university police can patrol.

A memorial service will be held for Cisse Friday at 3 p.m. at Bond Chapel on East 58th Street.

CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman and Pamela Jones, and the STNG Wire, contributed to this report.

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