Tailei Qi is a UNC grad student who has been charged for first degree murder. His academic advisor Zijie Yan was killed in the shooting. Qi and Yan wrote several academic papers together over the last years. They were seen in a photograph previously circled by the college before the horror attack on 28 Aug 2023, as per Daily Mail.
Why Is Tailei Qi Arrested?
Tailei Qi, 30, is a physics PhD graduate and former Wuhan University student. He was arrested near the campus on Monday and charged with first-degree murder on Aug 29, 2023. According to reports, he collaborated closely with Yan’s nanoscience technology-focused research group at UNC. The campus of UNC-Chapel Hill went into lockdown after the shooting while police searched for the suspect.
What Was His Motive Behind The Shooting?
Investigators stated Monday night that they had not determined a motive for the shooting. However, Qi’s social media hinted that, he did this because he was a victim of bully.
Who Is Tailei Qi
Tailei Qi was a graduate student. In 2015, he previously studied at Wuhan University and was studying at the Department of Applied Physical Sciences. In 2021, he also gained a master’s in material science from Louisiana State University. On LinkedIn, last month Qi shared a paper that he had written on optical binding which was published in his name as well as two others – including his adviser and alleged victim. After the incident UNC Chancellor, Kevin M. Guskiewicz said,
“This loss is devastating and the shooting damages the trust and safety that we so often take for granted in our campus community. We will work to rebuild that sense of trust and safety within our community and our hearts are with the family of our fellow faculty member, those who are personally connected to the victim and those traumatized by this senseless act of violence.”
He also said, The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill (UNC) began its academic year a week ago, in Aug 2023. The institution cancelled Tuesday’s courses for its about 20,000 undergraduates and 12,000 graduate students.
