CINCINNATI -- Two separate shootings near Xavier University claimed the life of one man and injured two others Monday, leaving students such as Megan Grubb tense and uneasy.
"We were all on edge" after the early morning death of 26-year-old Cortez Boston, Grubb said Monday night. Police discovered his body and a second, still-breathing victim at Rutland Avenue around 12:30 a.m., rushing both to the hospital. Students' phones pinged and pinged with news alerts from the university.
Around 7 p.m., as Grubb prepared to walk home from work, hers went off again. Another young man had been shot just a street over from the first pair -- and less than 10 minutes from the university.
"We have to walk back," she said. "It's kind of terrifying to think your neighborhood is kind of scary."
Violence is far from a problem unique to Evanston, said Darlene Walker of Betta's Italian Oven, but she was dismayed by both the concentration of Monday's shootings and their proximity to what should be a safe environment for young people.
"Parents sent their kids here for an education, and it seems like the two neighborhoods don't mesh very well," she said.
Olivia Seymour, a Xavier sophomore, said she sets her own fears at ease by calling Xavier University police to escort her when she feels unsafe walking alone.
"They have been telling us to (call them) lately just because of the crime," she said.
The victim of the second shooting was expected to recover Monday night, but no arrests had been made in either incident by midnight. Anyone with information about the shootings should call Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040.
