U. employee shot in chest off campus

Penn employee Patrick Yannul was shot in the chest early yesterday morning on the 4900 block of Catharine Street, according to Philadelphia and University police.

He remained in stable condition last night at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Vice President of Public Safety Maureen Rush said.

No arrests have been made in connection with the incident, which Detective Snow of the Philadelphia Police Department's Southwest Detective Division, which is handling the case, said had been logged as a "robbery/shooting."

Yannul, an employee of a research lab in the Medical School who was also taking graduate courses at the University, was "in the area of 49th and Baltimore Avenue and 49th and Catharine Street" at approximately 1 a.m., according to Rush.

"He was walking and he had his backpack with him with a computer in it and he felt like somebody was possibly following him," she said.

Yannul, concerned that someone was trailing him, entered what Rush described as a "Chinese takeout store" located at 4905 Catharine St.

An unknown man followed Yannul into the store where he "attempted to rob him by taking his backpack," Rush said.

She explained that while "it's unclear what happened at that point," it appeared that when the suspect was not given the backpack quickly enough, he shot Yannul in "the left chest."

After the shooting, the gunman fled the scene in an unknown direction, and Yannul was taken to HUP by Fire Rescue officers, Rush said.

Snow said the incident was recorded at 2:10 a.m., but was unsure whether that was the time of the incident or the time the report was chronicled.

Rush described the gunman as a black male with a medium complexion, somewhere between the ages of 25 and 30 years old. He is also described as being between 5'9" and 5'10" and weighing between 175 and 185 pounds. In addition, he has some facial hair and was "last seen wearing a brown jacket and, obviously, he's armed with a handgun," Rush said.

She noted that "this whole job is being handled by the Philadelphia Police," explaining that the incident happened "way out of our jurisdiction."

Still, she added that University Police detectives are doing what they can to aid the PPD in the search for the gunman, and that Special Services representatives will do what they can to aid Yannul, as is the practice for any Penn student or employee.

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