5 Held in Murder of Berkeley Professor in Athens

A UC Berkeley professor was gunned down in an Athens suburb just a day after a custody hearing—now, Greek police have brought his ex-wife and four others in for questioning as they probe what they say appears to be a contract killing, CNN reports. Przemyslaw Jeziorski was fatally shot on July 4 while visiting Athens; the attack took place a day after Jeziorski attended a family court hearing regarding child custody, and he was reportedly on his way to pick up his two kids at the time. Among those being questioned are Jeziorski's ex-wife and her current partner, NBC Bay Area reports. The group includes two Greek citizens and three foreigners.

Jeziorski, age 43, was a marketing professor at Berkeley's Haas School of Business. He was shot multiple times at close range in the neck and chest by a masked gunman in the Athens suburb of Agia Paraskevi, near his ex-wife's residence. Investigators found seven bullet casings from a 9mm handgun at the scene. Witnesses reported seeing the shooter, dressed in black, approach on foot and flee after the incident; authorities believe the ex-wife's current partner may have been the gunman, ABC 7 reports. One senior official described the attack as showing elements of a contract killing.

Jeziorski's family has launched a fundraiser to return his remains to his native Poland and cover legal costs. UC Berkeley, where Jeziorski taught for over a decade, remembered him as a dedicated educator who taught data analytics to more than 1,500 students. The school's dean, Jenny Chatman, called him a "beloved member" of the faculty.