Who is Tailei Qi? What we know about the UNC Chapel Hill shooter suspect 

On Monday, August 8, PhD student Tailei Qi allegedly gunned down a faculty member at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. NBC reported that in the wake of the unidentified faculty member's slaying, several students attempted to flee the scene as it was being treated as an active shooter situation.

Approximately an hour and a half after the incident, Tailei Qi was detained by local authorities.

Trigger warning: This article concerns a homicide investigation. Readers' discretion is advised.

As per NBC, the murder of the UNC-Chapel Hill faculty member is currently under investigation by both the FBI and local law enforcement. Officials have not yet determined the motive behind the slaying.

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All we know about Tailei Qi

According to his LinkedIn page, shooting suspect Tailei Qi was a graduate student who specialized in Nanoparticle Synthesis and Light-Matter Interaction. At the time of his arrest, Qi was a research assistant with the Department of Applied Physical Sciences. He had been with the University of North Carolina for over a year and a half.

Qi's LinkedIn Page describes his work as follows:

"Tailei Qi is a graduate student at the department of applied physical sciences, UNC at Chapel Hill. He works on the optically trapped nanoparticle arrays and all kinds of their related fascinating phenomena. He has experience in 2D TMD photodetectors, optical tweezers (...) and 2G HTS superconductors. Nanoparticle synthesis and self-assembly, machine learning is also within the range of his interest."

The description also reveals Qi's interest in outdoor activities:

"He likes running and hiking . He was ever [sic] an 800m champion and sixth place of 1500m years ago. He plays badminton, tennis and table tennis."

In the past, Tailei Qi has studied at institutions such as Wuhan University and Louisiana State University. He also has experience as a research assistant with the Southern University of Science & Technology, as well as the Suzhou Advanced Materials Research Institute.

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The timeline of the UNC shooting

At approximately 1:02 pm on August 28, shots were reported within the premises of UNC-Chapel Hill. The incident shocked many students, leading to a panicked situation in which several people tried to flee the building. However, it appeared the killing was targeted, as no other injuries or deaths have been reported as yet.

At 2:30 pm, officials reported that Tailei Qi was in custody. As per CNN, investigators have not yet determined whether the victim was known to the suspect.

Kevin Guskiewicz, the Chancellor of UNC, commented on the tragedy, saying:

"I am devastated and saddened by today’s shooting in one of our campus buildings, a place where we conduct our important work of teaching, mentoring and research every day."

At 3:14 pm, the university announced that all classes and events would be canceled. The administration has noted that if need be, support is available for students who feel impacted by the incident.