Students will not press charges in shotgun incident

The two Jewish students who were threatened at shotgun-point by two other University students early Friday morning have decided not to press charges, according to University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich. Kuprevich said, however, that the case was passed on to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, where prosecutors could potentially bring charges against the assailants, although it is rare for the DA to do so. "Nine times out of 10 times they will not prosecute," Kuprevich said, adding that the police department cannot press a complaint for another person unless it is a capital offense, such as a homicide. He did say, however, that the case was referred to the Student Dispute Resolution Center, which is currently gathering facts as part of its ongoing investigation. The incident occurred Friday when the Jewish students were walking near 39th and Pine streets and were taunted with ethnic slurs by two other University students. At the time, University Police records indicated the incident was being investigated as an "ethnic intimidation." Victim Support and Special Services Director Maureen Rush had said the incident began with an "exchange of words" when the two Jewish students, who were on their way home, walked past the residence of the other two students. She said the two Jewish students, whose names have not been released, were called "Jew-boys" by the other students, who were sitting on the front steps of their Pine Street home. An argument subsequently ensued and one of the students went inside his home and returned with a shotgun and pointed it at the Jewish students. The Jewish students then fled and called University Police, who found the two students with the shotgun and brought them into custody. They were then transferred to Philadelphia Police's Southwest Detectives, where they were questioned, but not charged. This is the second case involving allegations of ethnic intimidation in recent days. Last Thursday morning, two University students claimed four Drexel University students and one other man yelled ethnic slurs at them.