UNC community holds moment of silence, vigils for professor killed on campus

Wednesday, August 30, 2023
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- Classes were canceled again Wednesday at UNC-Chapel Hill after the deadly shooting that took place on campus Monday at Caudill Labs.

The victim, Dr. Zijie Yan, was an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences.
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He was the father of two young children and lived in Apex.

A moment of silence was held in his honor at 1:02 p.m. and two vigils were scheduled for later Wednesday.

Doctoral student Tailei Qi has been identified as the suspect.

Investigation into UNC shooting continues


Authorities took Qi into custody about an hour and a half after the shooting.
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He's facing charges of first-degree murder and having a gun on campus.



His UNC biographical page, which has now been deleted, listed him as a graduate student in the Department of Applied Physical Sciences.

A murder weapon, which authorities said was a 9mm pistol, still has not been found and a motive behind the shooting has not been released.

Several search warrants were still outstanding Wednesday evening.

District Attorney Jeff Nieman confirmed the caliber of the weapon and that law enforcement officers continue to look for it but declined to go into specifics of what else investigators are looking for.
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Nieman did reveal that Qi's social media posts were being scrutinized.



He also reiterated that he would not seek the death penalty for Qi or any other defendant -- something he vowed during his campaign.

"I categorically said that I would not seek the death penalty in any case, and certainly when I did that, I knew there would be cases that are serious, that are troubling, that's part of what we do," Nieman said. "But I made that pledge knowing that if I make that pledge I would have to follow through with it."

ABC11's Sean Coffey contributed to this report.
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