CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WGHP) — Jail records show that a suspect in the deadly UNC-Chapel Hill shooting has been booked into jail and charged.
Tailei Qi, 34, is in the custody of the jail and charged with first-degree murder and possessing a gun on educational property, according to the inmate listing provided by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Warrants obtained by CBS 17 state that Qi is charged with first-degree murder after he “unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously did kill and murder Zijie Yan” and was in possession of a 9 mm handgun on campus.
Yan was identified on the UNC website as Qi’s advisor and an associate professor at the school.
Classes and non-mandatory operations on campus were canceled for Tuesday, That cancellation was later extended through Wednesday. The university plans to resume normal operations and classes on Thursday.
UNC-Chapel Hill has set up a hotline to accept calls from parents, loved ones, or community members who have questions or concerns at (919) 918-1999.
In Court
On Tuesday afternoon, Qi appeared in court with an interpreter. The judge read off his charges and explained that the gun on educational property carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison, while the first-degree murder charge carries a maximum punishment of death and a minimum of life in prison without parole.
In an interview after the hearing, the Orange County District Attorney Jeff Niemen said he would not be seeking the death penalty in this case “or any case.”
The judge upheld the state’s request for no bond and set a probable cause hearing for Sept. 18.
How the news broke
The situation played out over three hours on Monday. Just after 1 p.m., the first alert went out, informing people of an armed person “on or near” campus.
UNC Police circulated a picture that appeared to match Qi, identifying him only as a person of interest in connection with the “armed and dangerous person situation.” The photo seemed to have been taken from the UNC directory, which listed Qi as a Ph.D. student at the school.
The all-clear went out just after 4 p.m. The suspect was taken into custody around 2:30 p.m., according to campus police.
Reaction
Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz confirmed that a faculty member was killed in the shooting.
“l am devastated and saddened by today’s shooting in one of our campus buildings, a place where we conduct our important work of teaching, mentoring and research every day. This shooting damages the trust and safety that we so often take for granted on our campus. We will work to rebuild that trust and safety. 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.”
UNC Police released a statement about the shooting on Tuesday, mourning the loss of the professor.
“The Carolina community is mourning the loss of Zijie Yan, an associate professor in the Department of Applied Physical Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences who was killed in yesterday’s on-campus shooting. Yan worked for the University since 2019. The University is in contact with Yan’s family and is providing resources and support.”
