UNC Chapel Hill PhD student charged with killing his academic adviser

An associate professor of physical sciences who was shot and killed at a lab at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Chapel Hill on 28 August, has been identified as Zijie Yan. A second year PhD student in his research group, Tailei Qi, has been charged with his murder. Qi has also been charged with possession of a firearm on educational property which is a Class I felony in North Carolina, and is being held without bail.

At a press conference on 28 August, UNC police chief Brian James confirmed that Yan was the only fatality, and that no other injuries had been reported. He added that the Caudill Labs building on campus where the shooting took place, which houses the university’s chemistry department, would be closed until further notice while the investigation was underway. James emphasised that the motive for the incident remains unclear.