US student charged with murder in fatal shooting of professor

A graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been charged in the fatal shooting Monday of one of his professors, a killing that spread fear across the campus and forced an hourslong lockdown, according to court documents.

The student, Tailei Qi, 34, was charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm on educational property in the killing of Zijie Yan, an associate professor in the applied physical sciences department, inside a campus lab, according to court documents filed in Orange County Court in Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Qi made a brief appearance in court Tuesday afternoon and was ordered held without bond until his next court appearance on September 18. He did not enter a plea. The public defender who represented him did not immediately respond to an email and phone call seeking comment.

Although first-degree murder is a capital crime in North Carolina, Jeffrey Nieman, the Orange County district attorney, said he would not seek a death sentence. The charge carries a minimum sentence of life without parole, Nieman said.

Brian James, chief of police at UNC’s Chapel Hill campus, said at a news conference Tuesday that Qi and Yan “knew each other and the suspect went directly to the victim and then left Caudill Labs.” After the professor was shot, the campus went into lockdown and officers swarmed the area. James said it was too early to determine a motive.

Qi was arrested about 90 minutes after the shooting, although the gun that was used has not been recovered, and it’s not clear whether it was bought legally or illegally, James said.

Qi, a doctoral student in applied physical sciences, was one of three graduate students in Yan’s research group and was a co-author of at least two research papers with him, according to the group’s website.

Kevin Guskiewicz, chancellor of UNC at Chapel Hill, said Tuesday that the university planned to ring the campus bell tower and observe a moment of silence at 1:02 pm Wednesday in honor of Yan.

“He was a beloved colleague, mentor and friend to many on our campus,” Guskiewicz said in a message to the campus community. “Please join me in thinking and praying for his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”