Alleged murder by Wuhan-educated physics PhD student sparked manhunt on first day back on campus for students at at North Carolina university

School authorities at UNC confirmed on Monday that that a gunman ‘shot dead a member of staff’

Tailei Qi, who has has been working as a research assistant at the university since 2022, was named as a person of interest

Qi, who is studying at the Department of Applied Physical Sciences previously studied at Wuhan University in 2015

Authorities issued a warning for an ‘armed and dangerous person’ in the vicinity of the campus

Police have yet to confirm an arrest, but footage shows handcuffed Qi sitting on the ground before being taken away in a police cruiser

He was arrested in a residential area , a mile from campus in handcuffs

A University of North Carolina faculty member was killed during a shooting on campus by a graduate student, according to sources.
Police issued this mugshot of Tailei Qi, [left], as a ‘person of interest’ in the current active ‘armed and dangerous person’ situation 
One person has died during the incident at UNC, according to WRAL, and a ‘person of interest’ has been arrested. 
Images later emerged of a handcuffed suspect who police say was involved in the shooting in custody about a mile away from the UNC campus in Chapel Hill, after an active shooter alert was issued.
Qi can be seen in an image provided to WRAL sitting on the ground and looking down with his hands behind his back, wearing a dark shirt and glasses.
Footage shows the suspected assailant being put into the back of a police car by officers after being apprehended. 
Police have now issued an ‘all clear’ message, with sources claiming they had been searching a property close to where Qi was arrested on Williams Circle. 
According to the UNC website, the suspect image matches an ID photo for Tailei Qi, who is studying at the Department of Applied Physical Sciences previously studied at Wuhan University in 2015. He has been working as a research assistant at the university since 2022.

Tailei Qi can be seen in an image provided to WRAL sitting on the floor near a property around a mile away from the campus, wearing a dark colored shirt and glasses

According to the UNC website, the suspect image published by law enforcement matches an ID photo for Qi, who also claims to have previously attended Louisiana State University, where he obtained a master’s in material science in 2021. 
Friends of the alleged shooter said that he seemed ‘nice ‘ and was ‘very quiet’ when they studied together. 
Ayden Scott told WRAL: ‘I would have never guessed that he would be the kind of person who’d could possibly be capable of this kind of thing. He was always very quiet.’
‘Every single time he would talk to me, he seemed very nice. When I saw his face in the reports online, I was beyond shocked.’
Authorities initially sent out a warning for an ‘armed and dangerous person’ in the vicinity of the school’s Caudill Labs in Chapel Hill at 1pm. FBI investigators arrived on the scene, along with state police, as footage from the scene shows a bullet hole through a window on the campus.  

Police officers seen searching for Tailei Qi, the alleged UNC Chapel Hill shooter

In a statement, police said: ‘This photo shows a person of interest in today’s armed and dangerous person situation. If you see this person, keep your distance, put your safety first and call 911.’
The applied physical sciences student posted on social media last month asking for help making friends. 
He said: ‘Would like to make some new friends. I am a second-year PhD student, interested in nanoparticle synthesis, optical trapping, self-assembly, spectra analysis, and ML. 

Footage shows the suspected shooter being put into the back of a police car by officers after being apprehended in a residential area about a mile from the UNC campus

UNC graduate student of Applied Physics Tailei Qi, was seen in footage being arrested and taken away in a police cruiser. He has been associated with the shooting death of a faculty member which led to the shut down of classes on Monday

Footage also showed police going door to door in UNC to clear the building and allow students to leave

Police officers seen searching for Tailei Qi, the alleged UNC Chapel Hill shooter

‘A bit stupid in daily trifles, very enthusiastic talking about research.’
Last month Qi shared a paper that he had written on optical binding on LinkedIn, which was published in his name as well as two others – including his adviser. 
Prior to his studies at UNC and LSU, Qi was a research assistant for almost two years at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Guangdong, China, and a researcher at the Suzhou Advanced materials Research Institute. 
He graduated from Wuhan University with a minor in Business Administration and Management, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Physics.

According to the UNC website, the suspect image matches an ID photo for Qi, who is studying at the Department of applied physical sciences

The applied physical sciences student posted on social media last month asking for help making friends

Students appeared to be escorted out of the chemistry labs by police, with their arms raised above their heads on Monday

Footage of the scene showed staff and students draped in their chemistry coats being led out of the building as dozens of cops swarmed the campus.
UNC confirmed the campus ‘remains on lockdown as the active assailant situation continues.’
The alert was issued at 1pm, with police advising staff, faculty and students to shelter inside until further notice. 
A huge emergency services presence has descended on the campus, with armed officers swarming the school. At least four agencies are responding to the scene. 

Footage of the scene showed staff and students draped in their chemistry coats being led out of the building as dozens of cops swarmed the campus

Video from inside UNC classrooms shows students huddled in the floor and texting their loved ones.
Updates>>https://t.co/c4zuSToyd5 pic.twitter.com/2sspOc5Xlp

— ABC11 EyewitnessNews (@ABC11_WTVD) August 28, 2023

UNC’s Board of Trustees’ special meeting and the Faculty Executive Committee’s meeting are both canceled for Monday afternoon

UNC was placed on lockdown and police issued a warning for an ‘armed and dangerous person’ in the vicinity of the school’s Caudill Labs in North Carolina

The alert was issued at 1pm, with police advising staff, faculty and students to shelter inside until further notice

Reports of shots fired at UNC Chapel Hill.

Cops looking for Asian male in Silver Nissan sedan, license plate TJN-4072, per scanner just now.

It sounds like there may be at least two victims. EMS on scanner just said "additional victim in room 159 at Caudill labs. pic.twitter.com/C7mtnvyYf2

— LAUREN (@LaurenRock) August 28, 2023

Massive law enforcement in Chapel Hill during the search. Police issued an ‘All Clear’ after the suspect was taken into custody – off campus

Lecturer Noel Brewer said that his office was ‘on lockdown’ because of an ‘active shooter somewhere nearby’. 
He said: ‘On lockdown in my office with staff and colleagues. Active shooter somewhere nearby. Perhaps near genome sciences. I heard that a student was shot’.
PhD student Jake Sirlin posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying that there was an ‘active shooter’. 
He said: ‘There is currently an active shooter at UNC in the chemistry building. At least one person has been shot. I am still in hiding. 
‘Please reach out to any loved ones you have on campus and especially in the department. I have never been more scared.’
UNC Hospitals has yet to receive any patients related to the incident, according to a spokesman. 
As of 2pm the University confirmed that the situation on campus was still ongoing, urging those not on campus to stay away. 
All Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools are in secure mode, meaning all building doors are closed and locked. 
It is unclear if a suspect has been apprehended, with witnesses claiming to have heard ‘multiple shots’.

A huge emergency services presence has descended on the campus, with armed officers swarming the school. At least four agencies responded to the scene

Footage shows the suspected assailant being put into the back of a police car by officers after being apprehended

The school district said elementary schools will not dismiss students until there is an all clear given at UNC.
In a statement they said: ‘As a safety precaution, schools have been directed not to release students to their families at this time.’
UNC’s Board of Trustees’ special meeting and the Faculty Executive Committee’s meeting are both canceled for Monday afternoon.