Athens
CNN
–
Greek police are looking for the killer of a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who was shot dead while visiting Athens on July 4th while attending a child. Family custody hearing.
Police say Przemyslaw Jeziorski, 43, an economist and marketing professor at Haas School of Business in Berkeley, California, was shot multiple times in close range in the Athens suburbs and died at the scene, police said.
According to police spokesman Konstantina Dimoglidou, a masked gunman struck the victim on his neck and chest, saying, “he approached the victim on foot and opened the shooting from close range.” Seven bullet casings from a 9mm caliber firearm were found at the scene, police said.
A murder investigation is underway. With the suspects not over a week gone by, his family and friends are demanding that police strengthen their efforts.
The shooting took place near the home of Jeziorsky’s ex-wife on the outskirts of Agia Paraskevi, the day after the two fathers attended a custody court hearing, police said.
CNN contacted Jeziorsky’s ex-wife for comment.
A senior police source, who is discussing on condition of anonymity, told CNN that “all scenarios are being considered, including close families,” as they are not permitted to discuss the case publicly, but did not elaborate further.
Police sources said the link to organized crime is also being investigated as the murder is a “sign of contract murder.”
Police said Zeziorsky had no criminal history in Greece.
The witnesses saw the masked black man approaching the victim on foot and told local media that they heard six shots and saw the assailant running from the scene.
“There was no silencer on the gun, it was very loud. It was like an explosion,” another witness who saw the attack told CNN affiliate CNN Greece.
Jeziorski’s family has repatriated his body to his hometown of Poland and is collecting money from a Greek legal representative to “pursuing legal action and assisting in the ongoing investigation.”
“Our family is heartbroken and we are doing everything we can to ensure that justice is provided,” his brother, Jeziorsky, wrote on his online fundraising page.
In a statement, UC Berkeley said that Zeziorsky was “passionate about education,” teaching data analytics skills to more than 1,500 alumni and doctoral students over 13 years. He was described by friends and colleagues as “a wonderful person, friend, coworker” and “exceptionally talented and hardworking.”
“We are heartbroken by the news of the tragic and sudden death of Professor Przemyslaw Jeziorski, a beloved member of our department of marketing and the HAAS community,” said Jenny Chatman, dean of UC Berkeley’s business school. “As the authorities investigate what happened, they focus on supporting the community during these difficult times. My heart goes to Przemek’s family and loved ones.
The highly regarded economist has created a popular MBA marketing analysis course and has “been a leading expert in quantitative marketing, industrial organizations, and economics of digital markets,” says Berkeley.
His research into self-sufficiency level entrepreneurs and financial inclusion and training took him all over the world, with one colleague describing him as “really adventurous.”
“He was the loving father of two young children and was always there if anyone needed help,” Professor Zusalt Katna, Berkeley, said in a statement. “He had a major impact not only on his research, but also on the field of marketing that combined his energetic presence with optimism and healthy skepticism.”
Before joining Berkeley staff, Jeziorsky worked as an assistant professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University and visiting scholar at Microsoft. He received his PhD in Economic Analysis from Stanford University and a Masters degree from the University of Arizona and the Faculty of Economics in Warsaw, Poland.
Jeziorski has appeared in several top-tier academic journals, including The American Economic Journal and the Rand Journal of Economics. He was also the co-founder of a startup called Keybee, a short-term rental property management platform.
