Nursing Student Killed After Getting Caught in Gunfire at Party Near Illinois College Campus

A man who was a registered nurse who just happened to be walking near the scene of a party was shot and killed early Sunday during a chaotic night near the University of Illinois campus during which four other people were shot and a fifth was hit by a car fleeing the scene, according to reports.

A woman who also was walking in the area inadvertently captured the sound of gunshots in a Snapchat video she was recording.

George Korchev, 22, of Mundelein, Illinois, was not a student at the Urbana-Champaign, Illinois university but was in the vicinity of an argument at an apartment party that spilled out onto the street and turned violent, according to Champaign police. He was taken to the hospital after the 12:38 a.m shooting and pronounced dead, police saiad.

Korchev was a patient care technician who had just passed his nursing board exam and was scheduled to start as a registered nurse at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville. A woman who said she knew Korchev wrote on Facebook about how he interacted with patients.



"George was truly a great person who always had a big heart," Tiffany Estrella wrote on Facebook. "He was a bright person who just finished nursing school at ease. He gave excellent care to his patients and treated staff like family. Condolences to his loved ones from our Condell family. You will be missed George."

In addition to Korchev, three other people were shot, police said, but they were also not involved in the original dispute.

"The persons who were shot were not at the party or directly involved in the fight," LaEisha Meaderds, Champaign police spokesperson, tells PEOPLE.

The victims, one of whom is a student at the school according to University police, were taken to hospitals with non life-threatening injuries, police said. A fifth victim, a woman who was running from the shooting was hit by a car, suffering minor injuries.

About 30 minutes later, another person less than a mile away was shot in an incident that police said might be related. The victim was taken to the hospital with a non-critical gunshot wound, according to police.

"Police are seeking a suspect(s) in both shootings as well as the driver involved in the vehicle accident," Champaign police said.

Kathryn Lawlor, 23, was celebrating her birthday with friends and was walking toward a popular campus bar, Red Lion, when she pulled out her phone to send a quick Snapchat video, she tells PEOPLE.

"All of a sudden you just hear shots being fired," says Lawlor, who graduated from the university in May and now works as an elementary school teacher. "It was just complete coincidence and almost perfect timing."

She ran to a nearby building for safety. "I hear a gun and I know exactly how it sounds and I know how dangerous they can be," she said. "It is a terrible tragedy that a person has died ... It could have been anyone. It could have been us."