CHAPEL HILL, NC - A shooting at the University of North Carolina last week took the life of a nanoscience researcher, Zijie Yan. Faculty members and students described Yan as a beloved colleague and friend.
“He was a beloved colleague, mentor, and friend to many on our campus,” University Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said. “My leadership team and I have met with his colleagues and family to express our condolences on behalf of our campus. Please join me in thinking and praying for his family and loved ones during this difficult time.” Yan left behind two young children.
After police were notified, the campus went into lockdown. Shortly after, police arrested Tailei Qi, a Ph.D. student in Yan’s lab, and charged him with first-degree murder.
After the arrest, officials described Qi as an “angry” student dealing with “mental health” issues. However, independent journalist Andy Ngo found there is more to Qi’s history than officials have thus far released.
Interestingly, a graduate student studying at the university’s Department of Applied Physical Sciences, Qi obtained his undergraduate degree at Wuhan University in China.
After Qi’s arrest, several media outlets called him a “mostly white Asian male.”
Qi’s LinkedIn profile shows a mysterious lapse from when he studied in China, which stopped in 2019. In 2022, he surfaced as a graduate student at the University of North Carolina. It is unknown where or what he was doing then, but it will likely be explored in the coming weeks.
When the shooting occurred, Julian Rucker, a social psychologist at the university, said he was walking back from a research talk when he heard sirens and received text alerts about an active shooter. He and his colleagues sheltered in a laboratory until the lockdown was lifted. Rucker said he is trying to find a way to address the shooting with students the next time he meets them.
“Finding words to validate these experiences is already difficult, let alone something that hits even closer to home,” he said.
UNC held a moment of silence last Wednesday at 1:02 p.m., the time of the shooting.
Alexander Kabanov, a nanomedicine specialist at the university, took to X to profess his grief, “We are all profoundly saddened by the tragic loss of Professor Zijie Yan. Yesterday’s events on our campus have left us all shaken.”
Meanwhile, Cole Sorenson, a chemistry Ph.D. student at UNC, also posted on X, sharing a photo of a police officer with his gun drawn near his workstation in one of the school’s labs.
“Today was a hard day in Chapel Hill,” he wrote. The university returned to a regular class schedule on Thursday.
Police continue seeking a motive for the shooting. A Columbia University psychiatrist, Ragy Girgis, who has studied such killings, says it is difficult to drill down on patterns that could help to predict and prevent such incidents.
“He was a beloved colleague, mentor, and friend to many on our campus,” University Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said. “My leadership team and I have met with his colleagues and family to express our condolences on behalf of our campus. Please join me in thinking and praying for his family and loved ones during this difficult time.” Yan left behind two young children.
After police were notified, the campus went into lockdown. Shortly after, police arrested Tailei Qi, a Ph.D. student in Yan’s lab, and charged him with first-degree murder.
After the arrest, officials described Qi as an “angry” student dealing with “mental health” issues. However, independent journalist Andy Ngo found there is more to Qi’s history than officials have thus far released.
Interestingly, a graduate student studying at the university’s Department of Applied Physical Sciences, Qi obtained his undergraduate degree at Wuhan University in China.
After Qi’s arrest, several media outlets called him a “mostly white Asian male.”
Qi’s LinkedIn profile shows a mysterious lapse from when he studied in China, which stopped in 2019. In 2022, he surfaced as a graduate student at the University of North Carolina. It is unknown where or what he was doing then, but it will likely be explored in the coming weeks.
When the shooting occurred, Julian Rucker, a social psychologist at the university, said he was walking back from a research talk when he heard sirens and received text alerts about an active shooter. He and his colleagues sheltered in a laboratory until the lockdown was lifted. Rucker said he is trying to find a way to address the shooting with students the next time he meets them.
“Finding words to validate these experiences is already difficult, let alone something that hits even closer to home,” he said.
UNC held a moment of silence last Wednesday at 1:02 p.m., the time of the shooting.
Alexander Kabanov, a nanomedicine specialist at the university, took to X to profess his grief, “We are all profoundly saddened by the tragic loss of Professor Zijie Yan. Yesterday’s events on our campus have left us all shaken.”
Meanwhile, Cole Sorenson, a chemistry Ph.D. student at UNC, also posted on X, sharing a photo of a police officer with his gun drawn near his workstation in one of the school’s labs.
“Today was a hard day in Chapel Hill,” he wrote. The university returned to a regular class schedule on Thursday.
Police continue seeking a motive for the shooting. A Columbia University psychiatrist, Ragy Girgis, who has studied such killings, says it is difficult to drill down on patterns that could help to predict and prevent such incidents.
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Comments
2023-09-05T15:14-0400 | Comment by: Ed
I enjoy Law Enforcement Today very much and the articles are usually spot on.............HOWEVER, you are beginning to sound like a Tabloid with "Bombshell revelation." A simple "He studied at Wuhan Univ" would have been enough to get our attention. Please don't get into the habit like CNN, NBC, CBS, and ABC do with trying to exploit the headlines. Where he studied is significant to the reader....but it's not bombshell news.
2023-09-05T15:14-0400 | Comment by: Ed
I enjoy Law Enforcement Today very much and the articles are usually spot on.............HOWEVER, you are beginning to sound like a Tabloid with "Bombshell revelation." A simple "He studied at Wuhan Univ" would have been enough to get our attention. Please don't get into the habit like CNN, NBC, CBS, and ABC do with trying to exploit the headlines. Where he studied is significant to the reader....but it's not bombshell news.
2023-09-07T22:22-0400 | Comment by: James
So, score another one for the CCP!