SFSU grad, cancer survivor struck, killed by stray bullet in Chicago

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Thursday, September 6, 2018
SFSU grad, cancer survivor struck, killed by stray bullet in Chicago
"Shane worked hard to accomplish his goals. He wanted to make a difference with his research and knowledge and I knew he would." Shane Columbo's mother and fiance are both in agony over his tragic, sudden death.

CHICAGO (KGO) -- A doctoral student and cancer survivor who got his undergraduate degree at San Francisco State was killed by a stray bullet in Chicago. His mother says it happened just four hours after he arrived in the city.

Shane Columbo just flew to Chicago Sunday to start school at Northwestern University and move in with his fiance. That night, he went to pick up hangars for their new apartment.

"We Skyped, and I told him like, 'You need to stay home. You need to rest. You just got in,'" said Columbo's fiance Vincent Perez.

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While Shane was walking on the street, two people started shooting. He was caught in the crossfire and hit by a bullet.

Shane's mother, who lives in Southern California, says her son survived cancer when he was 15 and was an outstanding student.

He graduated from SFSU in 2016.

"Shane worked hard to accomplish his goals," she said. "He wanted to make a difference with his research and knowledge and I knew he would."

No one has been arrested.