Associate Professor Zijie Yan identified as the faculty member who was shot and killed at the University of North Carolina
Photo: Associate Professor Zijie Yan // UNC
Earlier this week on Monday, a shooting occurred on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill. The victim identified was Associate Professor Zijie Yan. Yan joined UNC in the Department of Applied Physical Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences in 2019. Before that, Yan served as Assistant Professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering at Clarkson University.
After Yan was identified, tributes poured in from many colleagues, students, and friends.
“He was a great cook and would cook for all his roommates wherever he lived,” Yan’s former advisor, Doug Chrisey, said to The News & Observer. “His microwaved lunches were the ones you wanted to steal. He was a very sweet man and I am devastated that his life ended needlessly from gun violence.”
Dr. Yan “was a beloved colleague, mentor and friend to many on our campus,” said Kevin M. Guskiewicz, UNC’s Chancellor. “Please join me in thinking and praying for his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
A graduate student, 34-year-old Tailei Qi, has been charged with first-degree murder and the possession of a firearm on educational property. According to reports, Qi was a doctoral student in applied physical sciences and part of Dr. Yan’s research group since 2022.
But according to a report from NBC Asian America (Kimmy Yam), prior to the arrest of Qi, police initially arrested the wrong Asian male. Yam spoke with several UNC students who expressed fears of being attacked by the gunman as well as racial profiling.
“I was a little bit afraid the police couldn’t differentiate me with the killer,” Johnson Wei said. “When I walked outside, I was worried. I was afraid that people would stare at me, look at me in different ways.”
“Please stay safe and if you are an Asian male, do not go outside until this is over. The suspect is an Asian male and you don’t want to be mistaken,” said Mai Nguyen, a former UNC faculty member.
