Students at UNC Chapel Hill were advised to take cover on Monday afternoon after hearing reports that an “armed and dangerous gunman” was on campus.
Local reports claim that a faculty member was killed by the alleged shooter, who is now in custody.
These reports identify Tailei Qi, shown here in a profile photo of Applied Physical Sciences students from UNC-CH, taken undated, as the person arrested and taken into custody. The information in that profile indicates that he studied at Wuhan University as well:
Person of interest Tailei Qi studied at Wuhan University, according to a website run by UNC-Chapel Hill, which collaborated with the Wuhan Virology Institute, where gain-of-function research was funded by Fauci’s NIH. An armed suspect fired a shot near the campus lab, wounding 1. pic.twitter.com/XtJB9vvipt
— Mia Cathell (@MiaCathell) August 28, 2023
You can see photos and videos taken on the day of his arrest.
#Update #UNC #uncchapelhill This is video of Tailei Qi, the suspect who was arrested in conjunction with the lockdown on UNC’s campus. Mario Tornero-Vila, 22, is a neighbor who captured this footage and shared it with us. @SpecNews1RDU pic.twitter.com/CtHi6UFWKT
— Patrick Karl Thomas (@PatThomasNews) August 28, 2023
NEW VIDEO: Person arrested in connection to @UNC shooting. @WRAL pic.twitter.com/zmRSDKiEa4
— Mark Boyle (@MarkBoyleTV) August 28, 2023
Possible Suspect (Tailei Qi) at Large In Custody (Waiting to Confirm) @UNC Chapel Hill continues to be on lockdown. Stay Sheltered until All Clear. #ChapelHill #ActiveShooter
Tailei Qi – UNC Graduate Student
LinkedIn Profile attached. pic.twitter.com/5yEW9I7kge— Christopher Hale (@Chrishale92) August 28, 2023
Qi’s alleged LinkedIn page shows him listing both his preferred pronouns and more information about his graduate education:
BREAKING: Tailei Qi, a UNC at Chapel Hill graduate student, has been identified as a person of interest in the “armed and dangerous person situation” on/near campus. pic.twitter.com/sh0cFb7b0i
— Mia Cathell (@MiaCathell) August 28, 2023
The last time a Twitter account with the same name and photo as those listed on UNC’s profile was used, it appears, was on August 15, to send a “congrats!” to a person the Twitter user called “Dr. Eybposh,” also a student.
The person running the Qi Twitter account sent the following tweet on July 31, seeking friendship.
I would like to meet some new people. I am a PhD student in my second year. My interests include nanoparticle synthesis and optical trapping. I am a little stupid when it comes to daily trivia, but very passionate about research. Reach me if interested. @PhDVoice @PhD_Genie
This disturbing message was posted in June to the Qi Twitter account in response to another tweet by the author, but it has been deleted since then.
Tweet from a Twitter account with a photo that matches suspected #UNC Chapel Hill gunman Tailei Qi. Account was created in Sept. 2021. pic.twitter.com/UBCp5YNNoT
— Sister Toldjah 💙 (@sistertoldjah) August 28, 2023
This was posted on December 9, 2022, in response to another tweet by the author, which was also deleted.
Truth is always too hurt to admit. But I chose not to spend time with her anymore. How long will people forget about her? Even I don’t know who she is literally. No matter what, just let her go. We can enjoy some quiet time to sit down and look at the outside world.
Qi’s last two tweets led to speculation, but his motives are not known at this time.
UNC Police has since given the “all clear” but are still advising students not to go near Caudil Labs while the investigation into the incident and motive continues. All classes were canceled for the rest of the day.
