Suspect in Fatal Shooting at UNC Chapel Hill Identified as Grad Student
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was rocked by tragedy on Monday when a faculty member was fatally shot on campus. Now, more details are emerging about the incident and the suspect responsible.
According to UNC police, the suspect is Tailei Qi, a graduate student at the university. Qi has been charged with first-degree murder and having a gun on education property. During his court appearance on Tuesday, Qi did not enter a plea and was ordered to be held without bond.
The victim has been identified as Zijie Yan, an associate professor in the department of Applied Physical Sciences who had been working at UNC since 2019. UNC Police Chief Brian James confirmed that the suspect and the victim knew each other. In fact, Qi was a grad student in the same department and Yan was his faculty adviser.
Authorities have revealed that Qi is a Chinese citizen and is currently in the United States on a visa. District Attorney Jeff Nieman stated that the gun possession charge is related to a 9mm handgun. However, the firearm used in the shooting has not yet been recovered.
If convicted, Qi faces a minimum of life in prison without parole for the murder charge and up to two years for the weapons charge. While the maximum sentence for first-degree murder in North Carolina is the death penalty, Nieman has stated that his office policy is to not seek the death penalty.
UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz expressed his condolences to Yan’s family and announced that the campus will ring the bell tower in his honor on Wednesday. Guskiewicz described Yan as a beloved colleague, mentor, and friend to many on the campus.
The shooting took place at the school’s Caudill Laboratories, a chemistry studies building, and resulted in a lockdown of the campus for several hours. The suspect was located about a mile away and detained approximately 90 minutes after the incident. His car was found on campus.
UNC classes and campus activities were canceled on Monday and Tuesday, and will continue to be closed on Wednesday. Guskiewicz emphasized the need to rebuild trust and safety within the campus community after such a devastating event.
The FBI is assisting in gathering evidence related to the shooting. This incident adds to the alarming number of school shootings that have occurred in the United States this year. According to a CNN tally, there have been 49 school shootings in the country so far in 2022.
As the investigation continues, the UNC community grapples with the loss of a beloved faculty member and the need to come together to heal and support one another during this difficult time.