The former Wuhan University student who was arrested following a shooting at the University of North Carolina has raved on social media about bullies, ‘chatter’ and overwork in the months leading up to the fatal test.
Suspect Tailei Qi is a physics PhD student at UNC and was arrested after gunfire broke out on the first day of school. A faculty member was fatally shot, police confirmed.
He was seen in handcuffs about a mile from campus after an active shooter alert was issued on Monday.
At a press conference on Monday evening, investigators said they had not yet discovered the motive for the shooting. Authorities also confirmed that no charges have yet been brought against Qi.
They have not confirmed the identity of the deceased staff member.
But a series of disturbing social media posts have been uncovered in which Qi complained about his colleagues at UNC and lambasted school bullies.
Police released this photo as a ‘person of interest’ in the current ‘armed and dangerous person’ situation. Suspect Tailei Qi is a physics PhD student at UNC and was arrested after gunfire broke out on the first day of school. A teacher was shot and killed, police confirmed
Tailei Qi can be seen in an image provided to WRAL sitting on the ground near a property about a mile from campus, wearing a dark-colored shirt and glasses.
The graduate student has already studied at Wuhan University in 2015, and was studying at the Department of Applied Physical Sciences. He also obtained a master’s degree in materials science in 2021 from Louisiana State University.
Qi wrote on July 31, “I would like to make new friends. I am a second year PhD student, interested in nanoparticle synthesis, optical trapping, self-assembly, spectral analysis and ML.
“A little stupid in the daily trifles, very enthusiastic in speaking of research. Contact me if you are interested (sic).’
He often complained about his PI – or Principal Investigator – which is the common name given to the laboratory head of a research center.
It is unclear whether the late teacher, shot on Monday, previously taught Qi.
In a tweet from Oct. 31, 2022, he wrote, “Both the bunch of people to say I’m lazy and that to prove I’m working hard instead of telling me they’re trying to consume my privacy.
“I think their motivation is only to tell my investigator and then control me by telling stories.”
On August 18 last year, he wrote: “Just talk to my investigator and get his promise. He should have more experience dealing with these girls and talkers.
“Then we can just get away from this stupid topic. Let’s just focus our attention on nature. I won’t change anything if it’s not necessary.
He also complained of being tired from the hours he worked.
Footage shows the alleged attacker being placed in the back of a police car by officers after being apprehended. The police have now issued a message “everything is clear”
On November 12, he said, “Last semester, I walk over 80 hours a week and feel relaxed and energetic. Now I only work 60 hours a week and I feel tired.
“Simply because I spend too much time convincing myself that I’m only working out of interest instead of showing others that I’m working. »
In another tweet from July 18 last year, he said: “I just feel like my privacy has been insulted.
“When I work, I think I show the boss that I work rather than my interests, thus devaluing the meaning of my work. It’s so disgusting.
“Self-respect prevents me from working. Then I find it hard to convince myself that what I do is simply because I like it.
And he also complained of being overworked and having “insincere” friends.
Qi wrote on May 30, “These kind of people may actually be a good man, but maybe not a sincere friend. For a doctoral student, paying a lot of attention to daily working time is really childish…
“I know a lot of people want me to show them working, but no…that’s not human at all.”
The alleged shooter also complained of intimidation in the United States.
He wrote: “Bullying in America seems to be a problem. This is often because people don’t stop them on the first try. Explanation is not a solution but makes them feel that others will plead with them whenever they bring up an issue, which will make them voyeurs to find an excuse day and night.
During Monday’s lockdown, the university repeatedly sent out alerts urging members of the campus community to stay sheltered in place.
Video taken at the scene shows students jumping out of university windows as the shooting unfolded.
About two hours after the first alert went off, police were still arriving en masse, with around 50 police vehicles at the scene and helicopters hovering over the school.
It took about an hour and a half to lift the lockdown after the arrest, as authorities made sure they had the right suspect in custody.
The building where the gunshots broke out is a stone’s throw from the school’s iconic bell tower and a short walk from the store that sells books and other merchandise to students.
Students were seen jumping out of windows during the panic.
Classes began a week ago at UNC, the country’s first public university. The university, which has about 20,000 undergraduates and 12,000 postgraduates, canceled classes on Tuesday.
The alleged shooter’s friends said he looked ‘nice’ and was ‘very calm’ when they were studying together.
Ayden Scott told WRAL: “I never imagined he would be the type of person capable of this sort of thing. He was still very quiet.
“Every time he spoke to me, he seemed very nice. When I saw his face in online news reports, I was beyond shocked.
In a message from Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill confirmed the loss of a staff member in the shooting.
His message read: “I am sorry to report that one of our teachers was killed in this shooting.
“We are awaiting confirmation that the next of kin have been contacted before sharing more information.
Footage from the scene showed staff and students draped in their chemistry lab coats being led out of the building as dozens of police swarmed the campus.
Tailei Qi, a 2015 Wuhan University graduate, was pictured as someone UNC police want to talk to about the incident.
“I am devastated and saddened by today’s shooting at one of our buildings on campus, a place where we carry out our important work of teaching, mentoring and research every day.
“This shooting undermines the trust and safety that we so often take for granted on our campus.
“We will work to rebuild that trust and security. Our hearts go out to the families of our fellow teachers, to those personally connected to the victim and to those traumatized by this senseless act of violence.
Last month, Qi shared an article he had written on optical binding on LinkedIn, which was published on his behalf and that of two others, including his adviser.
Prior to his studies at UNC and LSU, Qi was a research assistant for nearly two years at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Guangdong, China, and a researcher at the Suzhou Institute of Advanced Materials Research. .
He graduated from Wuhan University with a minor in Business Administration and Management, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Physics.
