Yale student shot dead as suspect last seen in Georgia sparks national search, feds say
Federal officials have expanded their search for a suspect they say was last seen in Georgia and is wanted in connection with the February death of a Yale University student.
Kevin Jiang, a 26-year-old graduate student, was found shot to death off campus in New Haven, Connecticut, on the night of Feb. 6, police say.
Authorities were investigating whether Jiang was “targeted” and looking into whether his death may have been connected to a road rage incident, NBC News reported.
Jiang was attending Yale’s School of the Environment and was set to graduate in 2022, officials say. He would have been 27 the week after his death. He also previously served in Army National Guard, ABC News reports.
“The Yale Community is grieving right now,” Yale President Peter Salovey said last month, according to ABC News. “This is the loss of an extraordinary young man. He was committed to applying his talents to improving the world.”
Salovey said Jiang was researching mercury levels in fish and assisting manufacturers in following environmental regulations, ABC reports.
“We remember him fondly,” Salovey said. “We feel for his family, his fiancee and we express our condolences to them. This is a tragedy that has hurt all of us. In the days ahead, I hope we can focus on each other’s well being and support one another.”
Last month, police named 29-year-old Qinxuan Pan a person of interest in the case.
Pan, a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was last seen in “the early morning hours” of Feb. 11 driving with his family members in the Duluth or Brookhaven areas in Georgia, the U.S. Marshals Service said in a news release Feb. 11.
Authorities said he may have been staying with family or friends in those areas.
Family members told officials he was “carrying a black backpack and acting strange.”
Pan was also previously charged with “unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and interstate theft of a vehicle,” federal officials say.
Now, New Haven police say they have obtained an arrest warrant charging Pan with murder, and the U.S. Marshals Service said Monday it’s “expanding the manhunt nationwide.”
The feds are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information “leading to the direct location and arrest of Pan.”
They described Pan as a “6-foot Asian male weighing 170 pounds with a medium complexion and short black hair.”
Pan “should be considered armed and dangerous” and “individuals should not attempt to apprehend him themselves,” the Marshals Service said.
“Persons having information about his whereabouts should contact the U.S. Marshals at 1-877-Wanted-2 (1-877-926-8332). Tips can also be submitted via the USMS Tips app or online at www.usmarshals.gov/tips,” the service said.
