A student filmmaker who was a well-known Syrian activist was killed while filming the ongoing violence in his homeland, Syracuse University said Tuesday.
Bassel Al Shahade died Monday in the embattled city of Homs, Univesity Chancellor Nancy Cantor said. She did not have details of his death.
Shahade, a 28-year-old from Damascus, was a Fulbright Scholar pursuing a master of fine arts in film at the university's College of Visual and Performing Arts, Cantor said in a statement.
Owen Shapiro, a film professor and coordinator of the film program, said Shahade was well aware of the dangers he faced filming a documentary in Syria.
Shapiro said Shahade told him that he needed to be with his people.
Officials from Fulbright told Shapiro that Shahade had been shot while filming.
Amer Matar, a friend of Shahade's, said Shahade wanted to study in the U.S. but felt compelled to return home because he needed to film the historic events taking place in Syria.
The last time Matar spoke to Shahade was at a meeting in Syria with other activists, before Matar traveled to Germany.
Cantor said plans to memorialize Shahade on campus will be made public in the coming weeks.
"As a university community, we must deplore the senseless violence by Syrian government forces that took the life of Bassel and countless others over these many months," she said. "We hope and expect that growing international outrage, and yesterday's condemnation of the Syrian government by the U.N. Security Council will create a more peaceful and nonviolent path to freedom for the people of Syria."
