Newly retired University of North Dakota provost is fatally shot ‘by two teenage boys during a botched robbery attempt while he was out walking with his wife’
- Tom DiLorenzo, 63, was fatally shot during a robbery attempt Friday morning
- Police said he was with his wife when they were approached at gunpoint
- The two men who stopped them demanded money, before shooting DiLorenzo
- Police said they arrested teen boys, 15 and 16, in connection with the crime
Retired UND provost Tom DiLorenzo, 63, was fatally shot during an attempted robbery Friday morning
Two teenage boys have been charged in the fatal shooting of a retired University of North Dakota provost during an attempted robbery Friday morning in South Carolina.
Retired UND provost Tom DiLorenzo, 63, was out walking with his wife, newly-appointed College of Charleston provost Suzanne Austin, when the fatal shooting occurred at about 6.15am in downtown Charleston, South Carolina.
During the incident, two men approached the couple at an intersection near an antiques store and demanded money from them at gunpoint.
DiLorenzo was then shot during the attempted robbery. He was taken to the hospital where he died just before 7am, according to WBTW.
Austin was uninjured.
On Friday night, Charleston Police issued a statement revealing that they had arrested two teenage boys in connection with the attempted robbery and DiLorenzo’s death.
The suspects were said to be ages 15 and 16. They were not identified due to their ages.
Authorities said that DiLorenzo and his wife were out walking in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, when they were approached on this street by two men at gunpoint
Both of the boys have since been charged with murder and attempted armed robbery.
One of the boys was also charged with possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
The boys are being held in a juvenile detention center and will have a hearing before a family court judge.
DiLorenzo retired from his provost position six weeks and had moved to Charleston just weeks prior to being killed, the Grand Forks Herald reported.
He had been UND provost from 2013 to 2020, working towards student retention, improving the university’s graduation rates and developing the school’s strategic plan.
Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said in a statement that the city was ‘shocked and horrified’ by DiLorenzo’s murder and noted that the violence ‘has no place in our city.’
‘Our hearts go out to Mr. DiLorenzo’s family and friends, and to the whole College of Charleston community at this terrible time,’ he added.