Student in 'stable condition' after on-campus shooting Wednesday

College senior Patrick Leroy is listed in stable condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania after being shot in the back during an attempted robbery early yesterday morning near 40th and Locust streets. The gunman, 20-year-old Wilmington, Del. resident Chris Crawford, was arrested within an hour of the shooting by Philadelphia Police, who responded first to the incident. After hearing gunshots in the area, police found Leroy on the sidewalk on 40th Street between Locust and Spruce streets at approximately 2:20 a.m. and took him to HUP, according to Managing Director of Public Safety Thomas Seamon. Leroy walked into the hospital from the police car without assistance, Seamon said. The Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity brother and member of the Penn golf team underwent surgery yesterday morning upon arrival at HUP, said nursing coordinator Nancy Dode. As Leroy and two other University students walked north on 40th Street from Smokey Joe's Tavern, Crawford and another man approached them and warned them not to run, Seamon said. Crawford pointed a semi-automatic weapon at the students. Crawford and the students spoke briefly before Leroy noticed the gun and fled toward Spruce Street. The gunman chased after him, shooting him once in his right side. The bullet pierced Leroy's back right hip and exited through his front right side, landing inside his shirt. Including the shooting incident, University Police said they have received three reports of separate armed robberies since Tuesday afternoon, raising the total number of robberies near campus to 26 in September. Shortly before midnight this morning, police also arrested a lone male after an attempted robbery at 39th and Baltimore streets. Seamon said police have arrested seven suspects, who have been charged with 17 of the 26 robberies. He added that University Police are solving the robbery cases at a much higher rate than the 20 percent national average. After Wednesday morning's shooting, the two men ran to a car parked on 40th Street, and a third male drove them from the scene, according to Chief of Police Operations Maureen Rush. Philadelphia Police officers stopped a car matching the description of the getaway car on Lindbergh Boulevard near Philadelphia International Airport at approximately 3 a.m., University Police Captain John Richardson said. The car had Delaware plates and was driving south toward Delaware. Crawford and an unidentified woman were the only ones in the car when it was stopped. Police arrested Crawford, impounded the car and released the woman after questioning her at the Southwest Detectives Bureau of Philadelphia Police. Crawford was charged with aggravated assault and robbery, after Leroy's two companions and two local community eyewitnesses identified him as the gunman. Seamon said additional charges may also be filed. Crawford may also be charged with the armed robbery of a University student at 46th and Baltimore streets Wednesday at 1:10 a.m., Seamon said. The two other robbery suspects are still at large, though Rush said "the investigation is continuing." Police have not located the gun used in the shooting, she said. They have found a .38-caliber bullet casing at the scene of the crime, leading them to believe the gun was a semi-automatic weapon. Seamon and Rush returned to campus soon after the shooting early yesterday morning to direct the ongoing investigation by Southwest Detectives and the University's detective unit. Seamon said he notified University President Judith Rodin of the shooting Wednesday morning after he knew concrete facts about the case. The Rev. William Gipson, University chaplain, and Victim Support/Special Services officers went to HUP to counsel students who were waiting for information on Leroy's condition. Wharton junior and SAE President Robert Horton said fraternity brothers and other students visited Leroy at HUP all day yesterday and are hoping he will recover fully within a week or two. "He's been in a lot of pain, but we're pretty optimistic that he'll be all right," Horton said. Other SAE brothers who visited Leroy said he was alert and talkative. Leroy's parents and brother arrived from Claremont, Calif. last night, Horton said. He added that an SAE brother and a Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity brother, who were with Leroy when he was shot, were by his side at HUP most of yesterday. The two gave police full descriptions of the perpetrators Wednesday morning. Seamon said the Public Safety Division will take a proactive stance against the rash of armed robberies. "We've made a number of arrests over the past couple weeks and we're going to continue to be relentless," Seamon said. "These robberies around campus will continue to be the number one priority of our department." Seamon, a former deputy Philadelphia Police commissioner, said he contacted Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Neal Tuesday -- and again yesterday -- to request extra help from Philadelphia's 18th District, which shares jurisdiction over the campus area with Penn officers. Philadelphia Police had already assigned extra officers to the campus area before the robbery yesterday, and University Police had more officers on duty than usual between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. because some officers remained on duty after finishing their shifts, Seamon said. And Rush said the department will continue to deny unpaid leave days for some officers and assign others to overtime duty. Next week, University Police will begin deploying several teams of uniformed officers -- each headed by a sergeant -- that will be assigned to special details, like solving armed robberies. Seamon cautioned students to be aware of their surroundings, to use Penn Escort services more often and to call the police if they see anyone suspicious. Repeated attempts to reach Philadelphia Police representatives were unsuccessful. In one of the other incidents, a male demanded money from an undercover University Police officer at 36th and Chestnut streets at 5:05 p.m. Tuesday and was immediately arrested by three other undercover officers. Also Tuesday, a female University student reported that two men robbed her wallet at gunpoint at 10:45 Sunday night at 41st and Spruce streets, Richardson said.