UC Berkeley professor killed by masked gunman in Greece: ‘We are heartbroken’

A UC Berkeley business professor was shot and killed by a masked gunman in broad daylight while in Greece for a custody hearing.

Przemyslaw Jeziorski, 43, was shot five times in the chest and neck at close range near his ex-wife’s home in a suburb of Athens on July 4, according to the Polish news outlet, TVP World.

He died at the scene, police said.

The suspect — who remains at large — fled on foot. He is described by witnesses as being a tall man with an athletic build.

Authorities are actively investigating Jeziorski’s murder.

Jeziorski, a professor at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business for 8 years, was in Greece to attend a child custody hearing for his two children, ABC 7 reported.

“Our family is heartbroken, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that justice is served,” his brother, Lukasz Jeziorski, wrote on the European crowdfunding page, WhyDonate.

“Przemek was a loving father to two young children and a beloved professor at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. He was a leading scholar in marketing science, industrial organization and data analytics. He loved teaching and sharing his passion for the intricacies of marketing analytics and marketing science with his students.”

His brother said they are raising money to help with “legal fees, the repatriation of Przemek’s remains to Poland, and related expenses.”

In the wake of the tragic shooting, Berkeley Haas Dean Jennifer Chatman released a statement calling Jeziorski a “beloved” member of the “Haas community.”

“We are heartbroken by news of the tragic and sudden death of Professor Przemyslaw Jeziorski, a beloved member of our marketing faculty and Haas community,” Chatman wrote in a statement provided to ABC 7.

“While authorities are investigating what happened, our focus is on supporting our community during this difficult period. My heart goes out to Przemek’s family and loved ones. We will miss him.”

A close colleague in the university’s business school, Professor Zsolt Katona, described the father of two as an “outstanding scholar.”

“It’s hard to come to terms with this senseless tragedy,” Katona told SFGATE.

“Przemek was an amazing person, a friend, a colleague. He was a loving father of two young children and always there if someone needed help.”

His peer added that Jeziorski “had great influence on the marketing field, not only through his research, but his energetic presence and optimism combined with a healthy dose of skepticism.” 

Before joining the Haas faculty as an assistant professor of marketing in 2012, Jeziorski studied at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics, the University of Arizona, the University of Chicago, and Stanford University, as listed on his website.

He also previously taught at Johns Hopkins University and was a research intern at Microsoft.

The highly accredited professor’s research focused on quantitative marketing, industrial organization, antitrust and regulation, digital marketing, and financial technology.

Jeziorski’s work has been published in several acclaimed academic journals, including Marketing Science, Management Science, and the RAND Journal of Economics.