Three shots were fired one April evening in downtown Pittsburgh near Point Park University’s campus five years ago. A man was killed and left lying in the street in his own blood. As Kristopher Radder sat in his dorm room, he heard the shots. But while most stayed inside, Radder grabbed his camera and headed toward the scene.The police chased a man down for suspected robbery. While on the run, the suspect pulled out a gun. After asking the man to put away his weapon several times, a police officer shot him in the chest. Radder got to the scene and saw the man being put on a stretcher to be taken to the hospital. He had just enough time to snap a photo of the event.”Most would run. Not me,” Radder said.This photo was published on the front pages of both the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the following morning. This coverage would be the beginning to a successful start of a photojournalism career. Radder, a 2009 graduate from Point Park, has done freelance work for several places, interned with two newspapers and traveled to parts of Asia and South America to take photos for Project Health Opportunities for People Everywhere.After returning from his last mission with Project HOPE, Radder applied to work with Point Park. He is currently back on campus working as the university’s part-time media specialist.”It’s really great to be back … and give [the students] the same motivation and drive that keeps me going,” Radder said with a smile on his face while leaning back in his chair at Starbucks last Tuesday.In this position, Radder, 25, will be helping photo and video students with any issues they may have. He will assist with anything from making sure the darkroom is in order to fixing any broken equipment. He will also be working with Christopher Rolinson and Stephen Grebinski, both photography professors at the university.”My door is always open to help out students,” Radder said.When Radder was a student, he received an internship with The Leader in Corning, N.Y. Originally from Syracuse, N.Y., this was not far from home. He continued doing freelance work for The Leader post-graduation.During this time, he got to know Jason Cox, former photo editor and head photographer for The Leader. The two met when Radder applied for an internship with the paper.”His work ethic was incredible … A lot of times with photographers you get an ego, but he didn’t come with that attitude,” Cox said in a phone interview last Friday.Radder was able to get another internship from January to June of 2010 with the New York Assembly. There, he had the opportunity to photograph for the democrats and the New York Yankees.When this internship ended, Radder began the search for a job again. He applied for a photography position with Project HOPE, a non-profit organization that strives to provide humanitarian assistance where needed.            A few weeks later, while sitting in a coffee shop with a friend discussing the importance of taking risks, Radder’s phone rang. It was Project HOPE offering him a photography position with Continuing Promise, a humanitarian mission trip that took place in different parts of South America.He went on this mission from August to November 2010 and was able to capture images for the mission, as well as capture memories for himself.”I fell in love with humanitarian work. The moment you see your first child and hand them something simple … their eyes just glow,” Radder said.Needless to say, when this mission came to an end, Radder was not ready to call it quits with Project HOPE. He gave them a call to ask if they had any other work he could do. They offered him a position with the next mission trip, Pacific Partnership, and Radder immediately accepted.Pacific Partnership took place during the summer of 2011. They made their mission on the USS Cleveland, which had its first active duty in the Vietnam War. They traveled to Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and the Federated States of Micronesia to do humanitarian work and assist in disaster relief. Aside from Radder, there were several other media workers on the mission, as well as a team of doctors and volunteers.While there, Radder took thousands of photos, and he could tell the story of any picture he took. One picture on his portfolio features a Marine surrounded by smiling children.Prior to taking this photo, Radder had just returned from a long day at a medical site and was ready to head back for the evening to relax. He was about to leave when he heard children laughing and playing. He then saw what was happening with this Marine, and he grabbed his camera and went to take the picture.Radder has many photos like this one, and they all have stories. He is very thankful he was able to take part in this mission and looks forward to working with Project HOPE again in the upcoming summer, when he’ll be traveling to Indonesia, the Phillipines, Vietnam and Cambodia. “I am very excited that I get to do this mission again,” Radder said. “A lot of people say this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I have had this opportunity three times now.”Now that Radder is back on Point Park’s campus, he is excited to get things started with his new position. Rolinson is also excited to have his former student working on campus.