University of North Carolina Grapples With Professor’s On-Campus Murder

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Fear swept over the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Monday afternoon as students, faculty and staff began checking buzzing cellphones and finding an alert stating, “Emergency: Armed, dangerous person on or near campus. Go inside now; avoid windows.” 

It was a message no one ever wanted to see, but also one that the emergency notification system Alert Carolina was designed to deliver.

Within seconds, students rushed to barricade their classroom doors, turn off the lights and hunker down in their classrooms, or wherever they were when the alert went off, until the shelter in place order was lifted. 

Just minutes before, at 1:02 p.m., “UNC Police received a 911 call about an active assailant near South Road,” according to an article written by The Daily Tar Heel. 

The Alert Carolina message was sent out two minutes later at 1:04 p.m., and police, SWAT teams and the FBI quickly swarmed the campus to search for the man in question — later identified as Tailei Qi, a graduate student within the UNC Department of Applied Physical Sciences. 

Qi was arrested less than 90 minutes later in a neighborhood two miles away from Caudill Labs where he allegedly shot and killed Zijie Yan, an associate professor within the same department. 

According to Brian James, the chief of police at UNC, speaking at a press conference later in the day Monday, the two “knew each other and the suspect went directly to the victim and then left Caudill Labs.”

“It is too early in this investigation to know a motive for the shooting. We will be working with all of the law enforcement agencies you see represented on campus here to uncover every fact available,” James said. 

At the same press conference, he also mentioned that after Qi was arrested, the campus-wide lockdown remained in effect for another hour and a half while the police verified the suspect’s identity and conducted a comprehensive search for the murder weapon, which as of Tuesday afternoon has yet to be located. 

Students received the all-clear at 4:14 p.m., saying the shelter-in-place order had been lifted and students could “return to their normal activities.” 

The UNC Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz spoke during the press conference about the tragedies that had occurred earlier in the day. 

“I am grieved to report that one of our faculty members was killed in this shooting. This loss is devastating, and the shooting damages the trust and safety that we so often take for granted in our campus community,” Guskiewicz said. 

“We will work to rebuild that sense of trust and safety within our community, and our hearts are with the families of our fellow faculty members, those who were personally connected to the victim, and those traumatized by this senseless act of violence,” he continued. 

In an email sent from Guskiewicz to the entire student body, classes were canceled on Tuesday and Wednesday to give the UNC community time to grieve, as well as listing a number of resources that UNC students could use if they were struggling after Monday’s events. 

Qi appeared briefly in court on Tuesday, where he “was charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm on educational property,” wrote The New York Times. According to an article written by The Daily Tar Heel, UNC’s student-run newspaper, “the murder charge filed against Qi carried a maximum punishment of death and minimum punishment of life without parole. The gun charge was listed on the arrest warrant as a misdemeanor but may be charged as a felony. The felony charge would carry a maximum sentence of 24 months.” 

In the same article quoted above, the DTH writes that Qi’s next court appearance will be on Sept. 18 and “will be a probable cause hearing, where Qi may be indicted.” 

A candlelight vigil for Yan is being held on campus on Wednesday, as well as a moment of silence at 1:02 p.m. 

“As I have listened to the experience of our students, faculty and staff over the last two days, I remain in awe of the courage, empathy and grace that so many have shown to one another,” Guskiewicz wrote. 

“As we work to strengthen and rebuild our community together in the days and weeks to come, I encourage you to continue supporting your fellow Tar Heels. We need each other and we can’t face the challenges of our world alone. That is always true, but especially so this week. Let’s continue to show that compassion and humanity that defines who we are as a Carolina community,” he continued.

On Wednesday, there was a “This is Our Reality” rally led by UNC Democrats and March for Our Lives. Co-founder of the organization David Hogg spoke on the importance of voting in local elections and the idea that students should not have to accept the reality and fear UNC lived through on Monday afternoon.

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