약혼 후 살해된 예일대생…경찰, 중국계 MIT생 공개 수배

 

총격으로 사망한 예일대 대학원생 케빈 장. /페이스북 캡처

 

지난주 운전 중 총격으로 살해된 예일대 환경대학원생 케빈 장(26, Kevin Jiang) 사건과 관련, 현지 경찰이 MIT 출신의 중국계 친수안 판(29, Qinxuan Pan)을 공개 수배했다.

10일(현지 시각) NBC 코네티컷과 예일대 학보사 예일뉴스 등에 따르면, 이날 뉴헤이븐 경찰 당국은 판씨를 ‘요주의 인물(a person of interest)’로 공개 수배했다. 경찰 측은 판씨를 용의자(suspect)라고 호칭하지는 않았지만 “무장을 하고 있으며 위험한 것으로 간주돼 지인들이 연락할 경우 극도의 주의가 필요하다”고 전했다.

오토니엘 레이스 뉴헤이븐경찰서장은 이날 기자회견에서 “판씨는 메사추세츠주(州)에서 자동차를 훔쳐 장씨가 살해된 날 노스헤이븐 지역에서 목격됐다”면서 “현재는 코네티컷주에 있지는 않는 상태”라고 밝혔다. 현지 경찰당국은 연방수사국(FBI)과 공조해 판씨를 쫓고 있다.

NBC뉴스는 “경찰이 (사망한) 장씨와 (수배 중인) 판씨의 관계에 대해서는 언급하지 않았다”면서도 “하지만 판씨는 2014년 이후 MIT 대학원에 재학 해 왔다”고 짚었다. 중국 상하이 출신인 판씨는 MIT에서 컴퓨터공학을 전공한 뒤, 대학원 컴퓨터공학ㆍ인공지능 연구소에서 연구해 왔다. 사망한 장씨의 약혼녀인 지온 페리는 MIT에서 생물공학을 전공했으며, 페리씨와 판씨는 페이스북 친구였다고 예일뉴스는 전했다.

 

그가 용의자가 아닌 요주의 인물로 수배가 된 것은 그가 살인 용의자라는 충분한 증거가 없기 때문이다. 다만 판씨는 노스헤이븐 경찰의 호출에 불응하고 도망간 상황이다. 현재 판씨에 대해서는 구속영장이 발부돼 있다.

사망한 장씨는 총격 일주일 전인 지난달 30일 여자친구 페리씨에게 산에서 청혼했다. 두 사람은 교회에서 만나 사랑을 키워왔으며, 하이킹과 얼음낚시 등 스포츠를 함께 즐겨왔다고 현지 언론들은 전했다.

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISRxMEFDAFw

 

NEW HAVEN, CT (WFSB) - A Yale University graduate student was shot and killed Saturday night in New Haven near the intersection of Nash and Lawrence streets.

Yale University president Peter Salovey confirmed 26-year-old Kevin Jiang was the victim of the homicide. 

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and Police Chief Otoniel Reyes held a news conference on Monday at 11 a.m.

 

"Kevin gave so much to this community and he had more to give," he said. "We remember him fondly. We feel for his family, his fiancée and we express our condolences to them."

They spoke about about multiple acts of violence over the weekend, which included the death of Jiang.

Police said they received multiple 911 calls around 8:30 p.m. Saturday reporting gunfire and that a person had been shot.

 

First responders located a deceased person in the area shortly after they arrived. They said that the victim had been struck by gunfire.

 

Jiang was identified as the victim by Salovey on Sunday.

 

Salovey said in part, "My office has been in close contact with members of Kevin’s family. I wish to convey to them and to all others who loved Kevin my sincere condolences. Kevin was an extraordinary young man. The School of the Environment will be holding a community gathering later today and will be planning additional remembrance events that will be posted on the school’s website."

 

A full statement from the president can be read here.

 

Jiang was attending the Yale School of Environment as a member of the class of 2022.

"I don't have a memory of him where he wasn't smiling and happy. Even if you didn't agree with his views, he was more than happen to be your best friend," said Rebecca Dube, a classmate. 

With 12 shootings this year and six homicides, Elicker announced stopping the gun violence is a priority. 

"Without a doubt, COVID is attributing to this. We wouldn't be seeing the significant increase in crime and violent crime around the nation had it now been for COVID," Elicker said. 

Elicker released a statement as well.

 

"To those who continue to perpetrate these crimes: you undermine the safety of our residents and yourselves," he said. "You continue to promote fear for our safety in our everyday lives. We, as a community, will not stand for this and we will be relentless in efforts to provide justice for all of the victims, their families and loved ones. Addressing and eradicating gun violence takes serious action both in the short-term and the long-term—and the City of New Haven is committed to that. If you have any information pertaining to any ongoing investigations call the NHPD at (203) 946-6304."

Reyes asked for the public's help.

“Our department is working around the clock to solve these most recent acts of violence," Reyes said. "We will bring all of our resources to bear to ensure the safety of our city.”

A GoFundMe page was set up to help cover funeral expenses and support his family. 

 

 

 

 

Yale student with Chicago ties murdered blocks from Ivy League school’s campus

Kevin Jiang got engaged to his girlfriend last week and was shot to death Saturday. He attended grade school in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood.

By Mitch Dudek  Updated Feb 10, 2021, 10:42pm CST

Kevin Jiang was shot to death Saturday near Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Yale University

 

A Yale University graduate student with Chicago roots was shot to death Saturday night in Connecticut just blocks from the Ivy League school.

Kevin Jiang, 26, was driving in New Haven when he was shot and killed. Police said the shooter targeted Jiang. Investigators were looking into whether he might have been involved in a car accident before the shooting but did not provide additional details.

New Haven police on Wednesday identified Quinxuan Pan, 29, as a person of interest in the fatal shooting of Jiang. Pan, who’s from Massachusetts and graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is considered “armed and dangerous,” the New Haven Police Department said in a statement shared to Facebook.

Jiang attended St. Therese Chinese Catholic School in Chinatown and graduated from Maine South High School in Park Ridge.

“He didn’t come from a whole lot, it was just him and his mom,” said Eric Novak, one of his high school teachers. “He worked after school in a telemarketing job and then went fishing after work and he would show us pictures and be like ‘This is what I caught and I made it for my mom for dinner.”

Jiang would return to class drenched in sweat from physical education when a lot of classmates put in minimal effort, Novak recalled.

“There wasn’t a wasted second in his day. He always wanted to be something extraordinary. He was a self-made person, there’s no doubt about that. Whatever he did to earn his degrees, he definitely did it on his own because he was a smart, smart kid, for sure,” said Novak.

Jiang’s family eventually moved from Chicago to Washington state, and Jiang graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in environmental studies. He was a second-year student in the master’s program at Yale School of the Environment.

 

According to Yale, Jiang, a dedicated Christian, became engaged to his girlfriend a week before his death. The two met on a church retreat.

Jiang, who was days from his 27th birthday, was a veteran of the U.S. Army, where he served as a tank operator. At the time of his death, Jiang was a member of the Army National Guard who’d recently been called up to assist with COVID-19 relief efforts in Connecticut, according to the university.

Services for Jiang were to be announced this week.

Mark Brunke was a youth pastor at the former Chinese Bible Church of Oak Park when he came to know Jiang and his mother, who were members of the congregation.

“Kevin was always all-in on anything he did, he sort of dialed everything up to 11 whether it was sports or piano or whatever,” Brunke said.

“He didn’t have the perfect nuclear family and had some issues to overcome, a bit of a temper. But when he started coming to church, he really believed in God and Jesus and you could see him leaving his bad habits behind and becoming a kinder person,” Brunke said.

“God had turned his life around. I talked to him just before he proposed to his girlfriend — he was just over the moon about her.”

In an online tribute released by Yale, Jiang’s academic adviser, Gabe Benoit, said of Jiang: “Looking back, in my 30 years of teaching, he’s the single most effective student I ever had. ... He was such a bright light to be extinguished so early.”

Contributing: Madeline Kenney

 

 

 

 

 

Police Say MIT Grad Student Qinxuan Pan Sought For Questioning In Killing Of Yale Student Kevin Jiang

By CBSNewYork TeamFebruary 11, 2021 at 6:00 am

 

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — The killing of a graduate student last weekend shocked the Yale University community.

On Wednesday, New Haven, Connecticut police released the name of a person of interest in the shooting death of 26-year-old Kevin Jiang.

Police want to question 29-year-old Qinxuan Pan, a graduate student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They said he was last seen at the Best Western at 201 Washington Ave. in North Haven. His last known address is 193 Clifton St. in Malden, Massachusetts.

 

Pan should be considered armed and dangerous, police said, adding there are two active warrants for his arrest.

MIT did not comment on the investigation, but the school did confirm that Pan received undergraduate degrees from the institute in June 2014 and has been enrolled as a graduate student since September 2014.

The school also said that Jiang’s fiancée graduate from MIT in 2020.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to her, the Yale community, and all those impacted in this unfathomably painful time,” the school said.

RELATED: Yale Graduate Student Kevin Jiang Shot To Death In New Haven

Yale graduate student Kevin Jiang was shot to death over the weekend in New Haven. (Credit: Yale University)

Police said the Saturday night shooting in the East Rock neighborhood of the city was not random, but would not say if the men knew each other prior to the incident. The department is trying to piece together the last moment’s of Jiang’s life and figure out what preceded the gunfire on a quiet, snowy street.

Police said someone shot Jiang multiple times. He was found near his car, which had rear end damage.

One possible motive police are exploring is a violent escalation after a road rage incident.

“We’re exploring every possibility, including whether or not there was an accident that precipitated this incident, whether or not it was a road rage,” said New Haven Police Chief Tony Reyes.

Jiang, who was studying at the Yale School of Environment, was originally from Chicago and an Army veteran.