Killing of Zijie Yan explained

Killing of Zijie Yan
Type:School shooting, murder
Time: 1:02 p.m. (EDT)
Location:Caudill Labs, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.
Weapon:9 mm handgun[1]
Victim:Zijie Yan
Accused:Tailei Qi
Charges:First-degree murder

On August 28, 2023, Zijie Yan, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, was shot and killed on campus. 34-year-old Tailei Qi, one of his graduate students, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. The shooting sent the university into lockdown for three hours.[2]

Persons involved

Zijie Yan

Zijie Yan (; – August 28, 2023) was from the city of Jingmen, Hubei Province in central China. He received dual bachelor's degrees in materials and computer science in 2005 and a master's degree in physical electronics in 2007 from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, Hubei Province.[3] [4] He completed his PhD at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2011.[5] [4] While still learning English, he published 17 research articles during his time at Rensselaer.[5] [6] As a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago from 2011 to 2015, he helped develop a new material called optical matter consisting of metal nanoparticles held together by light.[5] [4] [6] He was an assistant professor at Clarkson University from 2015 to 2019.[5] [4]

Beginning in 2019, Yan was an associate professor in the Department of Applied Physical Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, running a lab that conducted nanoparticle research with optical tweezers (lasers).[5] [7] [8] He lived in Apex, North Carolina, and had two young daughters.[6] Friends and colleagues described him as always warm and enthusiastic about his research.[5] [9] [10]

Suspect

Tailei Qi (; born) was raised in a farming family in the small village of Dasha, Fengqiu County, Henan Province in northern China.[11] He received a bachelor's degree from Wuhan University in 2015 and a master's degree in materials science from Louisiana State University in 2021.[6] He joined Yan's research group at the University of North Carolina in January 2022, one of three PhD students in the group.[12] [13] In late 2022, he wrote several cryptic social media posts expressing frustration with the atmosphere of his workplace.[6] [14] [15] Co-workers at North Carolina said he was quiet but friendly.[6] [16]

Shooting

On the afternoon of Monday August 28, 2023, a week into the fall semester at the University of North Carolina, the suspect drove to campus and went into the Caudill Labs chemistry building. According to UNC Police chief Brian James, the suspect went straight to Yan and fatally shot him, then immediately left the building and walked off campus.[16] At 1:02 p.m., a 9-1-1 caller reported gunfire at Caudill Labs, identifying the suspect by name and describing his clothing and the direction he went.[17] [18] [19] The Alert Carolina warning system activated at 1:03 p.m., sounding sirens across campus and sending emails and text messages ordering people to shelter indoors.[17] [20]

Some students locked or barricaded themselves in classrooms or closets, while teaching continued in some classes.[21] [22] Rumors on social media inflated the number of reported shooters or victims.[22] While searching for the suspect, UNC Police briefly mistakenly detained another Asian man near the site of the shooting.[23] [24] At 2:21 p.m., a 9-1-1 caller reported someone matching the suspect's police description in the woods near their house on Williams Circle, in a residential area about 2miles north of campus.[22] The Chapel Hill Police Department arrested the suspect on Williams Circle around 2:31–2:38 p.m.[17] [22] Alert Carolina issued an "all clear" order at 4:15 p.m., after police spent some time searching unsuccessfully for the gun used in the shooting.[17] [21] [25]

Legal proceedings

On August 29, Qi was charged with two felonies, first-degree murder and possessing a weapon on school property, and held without bail at the Orange County Jail in Hillsborough.[12] [17] On September 19, at a hearing in superior court at the Orange County Courthouse, Qi's attorneys requested that he undergo a competency evaluation in the case and the suspect requested new attorneys to represent him. The judge set a new court date tentatively for November 14.[26] On November 27, he had been found unfit to continue to trial due to his untreated schizophrenia and that he would be admitted to Central Regional Hospital in Butner, North Carolina for psychological treatment.[27]

Aftermath

University classes were cancelled through Wednesday, August 30.[22] On the night of August 29, several first-year students organized a candlelit vigil outside of Carolina Union attended by hundreds of people.[28] Further remembrances took place on August 30.[29] The Morehead-Patterson Bell Tower rang in honor of Yan at 1:02 p.m., and hundreds of people gathered there to observe a moment of silence; flowers, letters, and other items were laid in memorial at the base of the bell tower.[17] The front page of the Daily Tar Heel student newspaper, depicting text messages sent and received by students during the lockdown, went viral on social media.[30] University chapters of March for Our Lives, Young Democrats, and Students Demand Action held a gun control rally at South Building.[31] [32] [33] In the evening, about 5,000 people attended a candlelit vigil at the Dean Smith Center, where chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and other faculty members spoke in Yan's memory.[34] [35] [36] North Carolina Asian-American groups held a vigil at the Cary Arts Center in Cary on September 6.[37] [38] In the months following the incident, many graduate students called for additional University action on mental health within the graduate school, due to strains from the structure of principal investigator-student relationships.[39]

The university entered into an unrelated lockdown two weeks later on September 13. Police arrested a former temporary worker for university housekeeping who had reportedly brandished a firearm toward a worker at the Alpine Bagel café in the student union building; there were no gunshots.[40] [41] [42]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Grand jury indicts UNC shooting suspect. September 5, 2023. WFMY. 2023-09-17. September 6, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230906165253/https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/local/unc-shooting-suspect-indicted-by-grand-jury-in-orange-county-tailei-qi/83-d1da3267-f59a-4529-9892-152f06ea103a. live.
  2. Web site: Aug. 28, 2023 Campus Shooting After-Action Report: Executive Summary . 2024-05-20 . Emergency Management and Planning . en-US.
  3. News: Zijie Yan appointed assistant professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Clarkson University. 2015-09-29. Watertown Daily Times. 2023-08-31. subscription.
  4. Web site: Yan, Zijie Applied Physical Sciences. 2023-08-28. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20230828222221/https://aps.unc.edu/faculty-member/yan-zijie/. aps.unc.edu. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  5. News: Dr. Zijie Yan, prolific, resilient and generous scientist, killed in UNC shooting. Rosenbluth. Teddy. Shaffer. Josh. 2023-08-31. The News & Observer. 2023-08-31. subscription. September 3, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230903104510/https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article278727509.html. live.
  6. News: UNC shooting victim remembered as accomplished researcher in cutting-edge field. Lovingood. Chris. Hagel. Jack. Talhelm. Matt. 2023-08-29. WRAL. 2023-08-31. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192021/https://www.wral.com/story/unc-shooting-victim-faculty-academic-adviser/21023373/. live.
  7. 10.1038/d41586-023-02724-0. University mourns nanoscientist killed on UNC campus. Lenharo. Mariana. 2023-08-23. Nature. 621. 7977. 18. 37648830. 2023Natur.621...18L. 261394661. 2023-08-31. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192022/https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02724-0. live.
  8. News: Using 'optical tweezers' to advance nanomedicine. 2023-07-23. aps.unc.edu. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 2023-08-31. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192023/https://aps.unc.edu/home-page-news-item/using-optical-tweezers-to-advance-nanomedicine/. live.
  9. News: UNC shooting victim remembered as passionate colleague and father with a 'constant smile'. Yam. Kimmy. 2023-08-30. NBC News. 2023-08-31. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192022/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/zijie-yan-unc-shooting-victim-rcna102511. live.
  10. News: UNC professor Zijie Yan remembered as gentle mentor, loving father. McCormick. Natalie. 2023-09-05. The Daily Tar Heel. 2023-09-17. September 12, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230912074358/https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2023/09/university-zijie-yan-professor-news-obituary-caudill-laboratories-applied-physical-sciences. live.
  11. News: Village Hero Story Turns to Tragedy as UNC Student Charged with Murder. Ding Rui. 2023-08-30. Sixth Tone. 2023-09-01. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192026/https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1013631. live.
  12. News: U.N.C. Graduate Student Is Charged in Fatal Shooting of Professor. Levenson. Michael. 2023-08-29. The New York Times. 2023-09-01. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901191503/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/29/us/unc-chapel-hill-shooting-gunman-charges.html. live.
  13. Web site: People Yan Research Group. yan.web.unc.edu. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. dead. 2023-08-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20230830015213/https://yan.web.unc.edu/people/.
  14. News: He moaned about work, 'bullies' and his head of lab online. Then police say he shot dead a UNC faculty member. 2023-08-29. Sharp. Rachel. The Independent. 2023-09-01. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192021/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/tailei-qi-unc-shooting-suspect-b2401178.html. live.
  15. News: Victim identified, suspect charged in fatal UNC-Chapel Hill shooting. Killian. Joe. 2023-08-29. NC Newsline. 2023-08-31. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192021/https://ncnewsline.com/2023/08/29/victim-identified-suspect-charged-in-fatal-unc-chapel-hill-shooting/. live.
  16. News: University of North Carolina graduate student left building right after killing adviser, police say. Schoenbaum. Hannah. Robertson. Gary D.. Rankin. Sarah. 2023-08-29. Associated Press. 2023-08-31. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192021/https://apnews.com/article/university-north-carolina-chapel-hill-shooting-a5eb7268934f7f416b7cfa2e2e3e24db. live.
  17. Web site: Latest updates: Campus grieves after shooting at Caudill Labs. 2023-08-29. Hudson. Susan. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. unc.edu. 2023-08-31. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192021/https://www.unc.edu/discover/latest-updates-campus-grieves-after-shooting-at-caudill-labs/. live.
  18. News: Audio reveals 911 caller in University of North Carolina shooting immediately identified a suspect. Robertson. Gary D.. 2023-08-31. Associated Press. 2023-09-01. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192020/https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-university-faculty-shooting-emergency-call-e8f4359f84359a8d892c669a26eebed6. live.
  19. News: 'We need immediate help.' 911 call details harrowing moments during UNC shooting. Hammond. Colleen. 2023-08-31. The News & Observer. 2023-09-01. subscription.
  20. News: What we know about the shooting at UNC-Chapel Hill after arrest of suspect. Bajpai. Avi. Rosenbluth. Teddy. 2023-08-31. The News & Observer. 2023-09-01. subscription.
  21. News: U.N.C. Faculty Member Is Fatally Shot in Lab. Levenson. Michael. Holpuch. Amanda. 2023-08-28. The New York Times. 2023-09-01. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192027/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/28/us/university-north-carolina-shooting.html. live.
  22. News: UNC's campus shooting: What we know so far. Martin. Emmy. Rhodes. Lauren. 2023-08-29. The Daily Tar Heel. 2023-09-01. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192021/https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2023/08/active-shooter-situation-campus-08282023-recap-what-we-know. live.
  23. News: UNC police got the wrong Asian while searching for suspect, intensifying fears of racial profiling. Yam. Kimmy. 2023-08-30. NBC News. 2023-08-31. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192025/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/unc-police-asian-student-rcna102512. live.
  24. Web site: Column: Poor crisis communication hurts us all – especially those at risk. Tillman. Adrian. Baiocchi. Aisha. 2023-08-30. The Daily Tar Heel. opinion. 2023-08-31. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192030/https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2023/08/opinion-column-alert-carolina-active-shooter-aug-28-unc-chapel-hill-lock-down. live.
  25. News: Weapon used in UNC shooting not recovered, authorities say. Thomas. Aaron. WRAL. 2023-08-31. 2023-08-29. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192020/https://www.wral.com/story/weapon-used-in-unc-shooting-not-recovered-authorities-say/21024378/. live.
  26. Web site: UNC murder suspect requests new attorneys, competency motion filed. ABC 11. 2023-09-20. 2023-09-23. September 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230922015842/https://abc11.com/unc-shooting-murder-tailei-qi-zijie-yan/13800127/. live.
  27. Web site: University of North Carolina shooting suspect found unfit for trial, sent to mental health facility. Hannah. Schoenbaum. Associated Press. 2023-11-28. 2023-12-05.
  28. News: UNC first-years hold vigil day after campus shooting, hundreds of students attend. Marques. Lucy. 2023-08-30. The Daily Tar Heel. 2023-09-01. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901193524/https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2023/08/university-unc-shooting-zijie-yan-vigil-august-29. live.
  29. News: UNC's Community Grapples with Loss, Trauma from Monday's Shooting through Vigils and Rally. McConnell. Brighton. 2023-08-31. Chapelboro. 2023-09-01. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192025/https://chapelboro.com/news/unc/uncs-community-grapples-with-loss-trauma-from-mondays-shooting-through-vigils-and-rally. live.
  30. News: UNC's student newspaper responds to campus shooting with an emotional front page. Ortiz. Erik. 2023-08-30. NBC News. 2023-09-01. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192020/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/unc-student-newspaper-responds-campus-shooting-emotional-front-page-rcna102595. live.
  31. News: University of North Carolina students rally for gun safety after fatal shooting of faculty member. Schoenbaum. Hannah. 2023-08-30. Associated Press. 2023-09-01. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192024/https://apnews.com/article/university-shooting-north-carolina-chapel-hill-4badf2fd2a7bca331cdcdf5052c1f67f. live.
  32. News: 'Nauseating fear': UNC students rally for gun control after campus shooting. Mallinson. Sophie. 2023-08-30. WUNC. 2023-09-01. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192026/https://www.wunc.org/news/2023-08-30/nauseating-fear-unc-students-rally-for-gun-control-after-campus-shooting. live.
  33. News: 'We have to be that change': UNC students demand action after campus shooting. Bajpai. Avi. The News & Observer. 2023-08-31. 2023-09-01. subscription.
  34. News: 'We will never forget.' UNC comes together to mourn slain professor at candlelight vigil. Moore. Mary Helen. 2023-08-30. The News & Observer. 2023-09-01. subscription.
  35. Web site: Vigil honors 'a life well lived'. Hudson. Susan. 2023-08-31. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. unc.edu. 2023-08-31. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192025/https://www.unc.edu/discover/vigil-honors-a-life-well-lived/. live.
  36. News: 'Truly missed and forever remembered': UNC mourns Zijie Yan at candlelight vigil. Livingston. Walter. 2023-08-31. The Daily Tar Heel. 2023-09-01. September 1, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230901192026/https://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2023/08/university-candlelight-vigil-0830-dean-e-smith-center-zijie-yan. live.
  37. News: Triangle's Asian American community gathers to remember professor killed in UNC shooting. Bajpai. Avi. 2023-09-06. The News & Observer. 2023-09-17. subscription.
  38. News: 'One life lost is too much': Asian Americans hold vigil to honor late UNC professor Dr. Zijie Yan. Chapin. Josh. 2023-09-05. ABC 11. 2023-09-17. September 20, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230920183117/https://abc11.com/unc-shooting-vigil-zijie-yan-chapel-hill/13735286/. live.
  39. News: Graduate students call for more University action on mental health . dailytarheel.com . 2024-07-14.
  40. News: Armed suspect causes second lockdown. Hudson. Susan. 2023-09-14. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 2023-09-17. September 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230916175746/https://www.unc.edu/posts/2023/09/14/armed-suspect-causes-second-lockdown/. live.
  41. News: UNC rattled by 2nd campus lockdown in 16 days. Suspect who 'brandished' gun arrested. Dean. Korie. Hammond. Colleen. Grubb. Tammy. Sánchez-Guerra. Aaron. 2023-09-14. The News & Observer. 2023-09-17. subscription.
  42. News: UNC shooting scare opens 'collective wound' weeks after professor killed. Javaid. Maham. Rosenzweig-Ziff. David. 2023-09-13. The Washington Post. 2023-09-17.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Killing of Zijie Yan".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.