Investigation ongoing into Pitt student’s death

The investigation into the mid-January death of a female Pitt student remains ongoing one month after her passing, City police said Monday.

A Port Authority bus turning right from Fifth Avenue onto DeSoto Street struck Barbara Como, a senior anthropology major, on Jan. 18 at around 12:15 p.m. The incident occurred on the downtown-bound side of Fifth Avenue, not in the reverse-flow bus lane. Como was transported to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in serious condition, and she later passed away at the hospital.

City police spokesperson Maurice Matthews II said the police’s Collisions Investigation Unit is still working on the case and updates will be provided as they become available.

Port Authority announced three days after the incident, on Jan. 21, that it had taken the operator driving the bus off the road until both City police and internal investigations concluded.

Following the incident, Vice Provost and Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner released a survey asking for community suggestions on how to make Oakland safer for pedestrians.