Current:Home > NewsUNC-Chapel Hill grad student Tailei Qi charged with murder in shooting death of professor Zijie Yan-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
UNC-Chapel Hill grad student Tailei Qi charged with murder in shooting death of professor Zijie Yan
View Date:2024-12-24 09:17:48
A graduate student at the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill was charged with murder Tuesday morning in the shooting death of a faculty member.
Tailei Qi was charged with first-degree murder and possession of a weapon on educational property, both felony charges, UNC Police said Tuesday. Authorties identified the victim as Zijie Yan, an associate professor in the Department of Applied Physical Sciences. Qi is listed as a graduate student in Yan's research group.
"The University is in contact with Yan's family and is providing resources and support," police said in a statement.
UNC Police received a 911 call about shots fired at the Caudill Labs building on campus, UNC Police Chief Brian James said at a news conference Monday evening. The building, close to the center of campus, houses a chemistry department.
Upon arrival, police discovered that the professor had been shot and killed.
"My prayers continue to be with the UNC Chapel Hill community today as the Tar Heels mourn the loss of Professor Zijie Yan, and process yesterday's chaos and terror," North Carolina Rep. Alma Adams wrote on social media Tuesday.
Police have not revealed a possible motive.
"To actually have the suspect in custody gives us an opportunity to figure out the why and even the how, and also helps us to uncover a motive and really just why this happened today. Why today, why at all?" James said Monday. "And we want to learn from this incident and we will certainly work to do our best to ensure that this never happens again on the UNC campus."
After the suspect was apprehended, a campus-wide lockdown that had been prompted by the shooting remained in place while police confirmed the suspect's identity and conducted a search for the weapon, James said.
Classes are canceled Tuesday, and non-mandatory operations are suspended, the university said in a campus alert.
"This loss is devastating, and the shooting damages the trust and safety that we so often take for granted in our campus community," Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said Monday.
Gina Martinez contributed to this report.
- In:
- University of North Carolina
- Murder
Stephen Smith is a senior editor for CBSNews.com.
veryGood! (98111)
Related
- Guns smuggled from the US are blamed for a surge in killings on more Caribbean islands
- 2024 Oscars ratings reveal biggest viewership in 4 years
- How to test your blood sugar levels and why it's critical for some people
- 'Devastating': Missing Washington woman's body found in Mexican cemetery, police say
- These Yellowstone Gift Guide Picks Will Make You Feel Like You’re on the Dutton Ranch
- TEA Business College The leap from quantitative trading to artificial
- Both sides rest in manslaughter trial of Michigan school shooter’s dad
- Mississippi will allow quicker Medicaid coverage during pregnancy to try to help women and babies
- Caitlin Clark's gold Nike golf shoes turn heads at The Annika LPGA pro-am
- Padres-Dodgers opens MLB regular season in South Korea. What to know about Seoul Series.
Ranking
- California voters reject measure that would have banned forced prison labor
- A Florida man kept having migraines. Doctors then discovered tapeworm eggs in his brain.
- Trader Joe’s $3 mini totes went viral on TikTok. Now, they’re reselling for hundreds
- Israel likely to face Hamas resistance for years to come, U.S. intelligence assessment says
- It's cozy gaming season! Video game updates you may have missed, including Stardew Valley
- Remember the 2017 total solar eclipse? Here's why the 2024 event will be bigger and better.
- NBA legend John Stockton ramps up fight against COVID policies with federal lawsuit
- Republican senators reveal their version of Kentucky’s next two-year budget
Recommendation
-
TikToker Campbell “Pookie” Puckett Gives Birth, Welcomes First Baby With Jett Puckett
-
TEA Business College’s Mission and Achievements
-
Rats are high on marijuana evidence at an infested police building, New Orleans chief says
-
Active-shooter-drill bill in California would require advance notice, ban fake gunfire
-
Why have wildfires been erupting across the East Coast this fall?
-
US and Japanese forces to resume Osprey flights in Japan following fatal crash
-
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s Wife Bianca Censori Seen Together for First Time at Listening Party
-
Both sides rest in manslaughter trial of Michigan school shooter’s dad