Former Pitt student killed in Wednesday morning shooting on Meyran

Esam Tanzim Hossain, a 23-year-old former Pitt student, was killed in an early Wednesday morning shooting in Central Oakland, according to City police and the County medical examiner’s office. 

Shots were fired by an unknown suspect on the 300 block of Meyran Ave. shortly after midnight Wednesday, police said. The property is located between Louisa and Bates streets.

City police said they found Hossain with a gunshot wound to the head around 12:35 a.m., and took him to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in critical condition. He was later pronounced deceased shortly after 1:00 a.m. at the hospital.

According to a Pitt ENS alert issued at 2:20 a.m., witnesses had observed a white sedan flee west on Bates Street.

University spokesperson Kevin Zwick said the Pitt community was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Hossain, who was last enrolled at Pitt in December 2018.

Detectives from the City police’s Major Crimes and Crime Scene units are investigating.

According to a November 2018 article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Hossain sold t-shirts with other current and former Pitt students to help raise money for those affected by the Tree of Life massacre.

“One of our closest friends is a member at that synagogue and was going to worship, and he woke up late,” Hossain told the Post-Gazette. “He was on his way when he was told to turn around. That’s just crazy.”

For students who are affected by this news, online and digital services and resources for students are available by contacting the University Counseling Center at 412-648-7930 x1. LifeSolutions, the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program, is available 24/7 by calling 866-647-3432.

This story has been updated.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly listed the neighborhood where the incident took place as South Oakland. The Pitt News regrets this error.