The University of North Carolina faculty member who was shot and killed by accused gunman Tailei Qi has been identified as the shooter’s professor and academic advisor with whom he recently wrote a paper.
Zijie Yan, an associate professor in the university’s Department of Applied Physical Sciences, was killed at about 1 p.m. Monday inside the school’s Caudill Laboratory, prompting a shutdown, WRAL News reported.
“This loss was devastating and the shooting damaged the trust and safety we often take for granted in our campus community,” UNC Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz said during a press conference Monday.
“We will work to rebuild trust and safety in our community and our hearts go out to the families of our faculty members, those personally connected to the victims and those traumatized by this senseless act of violence,” Guskiewicz added.
Yan, who earned his doctorate in materials engineering from New York’s Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been with UNC since 2019 after serving as an assistant professor at Clarkson University.
Qi, 34, the doctoral student who was arrested nearly two hours after the gunshots rang out, has worked closely with Yan’s research group over the past year, with his social media posts showing he has been irritated with the group in the past.
University of North Carolina Professor Zijie Yan has been identified as the victim of Monday’s shooting at the college’s laboratory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Suspect Tailei Qi is a graduate student and member of Yan’s research group, with his social media accounts suggesting he hates the group. UNC Police
In the summer and fall of 2022, Qi made several posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, claiming that members of his group were “tattletales” who often reported him to their “PI,” or principal investigator, the faculty member who supervised the students.
It is not clear if Yan is the PI referred to in Qi’s post.
“Just talk to my PI and get his promise,” he wrote in a post. “He should have more experience handling these girls and stories. Then, we can get out of this stupid topic.”
Qi was arrested nearly two hours after the shooting caused a campus-wide lockdown. Chris Lovingood WRAL / facebook
His social media accounts appear normal until May 30, 2023, where he complains about his lack of friends and claims that his fellow students are hostile to him.
“A man like this may be a good man indeed, but may not be a sincere friend,” he wrote. “For a Phd student, paying so much attention to working time every day is really childish…I know a lot of people want me to show them work and work, but no…that’s not human at all.”
On July 30, Qi, Yan and other researchers published a joint paper on the subject of nanoparticles. The next day, the suspected gunman set up a post looking for friends.
State police rushed to the school when the shooting was called about 1 a.m. Monday. AP
Police said they have yet to determine a motive for the shooting as investigators continue to search for firearms linked to Yan’s death.
UNC-Chapel Hill Police Chief Brian James said his department is working with state and federal law enforcement in investigating the fatal shooting.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
