A Tucson man was shot in the head late Monday night while he sat in his idling truck outside a campus ATM in what police say may have been an armed robbery attempt.

Police are still looking for the three men witnesses saw running from the area of the Bank One branch at 947 N. Park Ave. after the shooting.

Witnesses at Manzanita-Mohave Residence Hall across the street from the bank reported hearing three men "kicking" a white Chevrolet pickup truck at about 11:20 p.m. When they turned around to look, they saw the truck move forward and one of the men shoot out the pickup's back window. The truck's tires squealed and it made a complete U-turn before colliding with a parked vehicle on the opposite side of First Street, said Brian Donegan, a resident of Manzanita-Mohave who witnessed the shooting.

"The driver must have gotten hit and fallen on the wheel," said Eric Sagara, another witness.

The shooter then ran behind the Carl's Jr. restaurant on the adjacent corner, following his two companions.

"I saw a guy in a white shirt and black pants hauling ass behind Carl's Jr.," said Armando Espinoza, a Manzanita-Mohave resident who ran to his window after hearing a shot.

When police and paramedics arrived, the victim was conscious and told them he had been mugged and the suspects had thrown rocks at him, said Sgt. Robert Summerfield of the University of Arizona Police Department. Summerfield also said the victim had "seve re head injuries and was bleeding profusely."

The driver was taken to a local hospital. He is now listed in critical condition, Tucson police Sgt. Eugene Mejia said yesterday.

Although university police officers were the first on the scene, the incident has been given to the Tucson Police Department for investigation because the crime occurred in its jurisdiction.

TPD is treating the case as an aggravated assault, leaving open the possibility of armed robbery because of the ATM's proximity, said Sgt. Bob Webster of the robbery, violent crimes and criminal investigation division.

A helicopter search of the area immediately following the crime yielded no suspects. Police are now searching for "three Hispanic males wearing light baggy clothes," Webster said. No further description of the suspects was available, and witnesses' descri ptions varied.

"The man was Caucasian," said Faye Campagna, another Manzanita-Mohave resident who witnessed the crime.

In a possibly related encounter, three Manzanita-Mohave residents were walking northbound on Park Avenue when they encountered three "junior high" males who asked them where Zeta Beta Tau fraternity was, said Alexis Glenn, one of the residents in the grou p.

"This was five minutes before anything happened. As soon as we saw that this happened, we thought of the three guys," Glenn said.

Leah Loell, another resident, said the males they met were short and wearing baggy clothing.

One was wearing a white T-shirt and had blond hair with very fair skin, Glenn said. The other had a slightly darker complexion, while the third was obscured behind the first two.

TPD detectives will conduct further interviews at Manzanita-Mohave to find residents who may have more information, Webster said.

Wildcat reporter Joseph Altman Jr. contributed to this report.