Court docs reveal UNC Chapel Hill shooting suspect purchased gun, went to shooting range & listed victim as emergency contact
The U.S. District Court released documents Thursday that provide new details about Tailei Qi, the suspect in the murder of UNC Chapel Hill Professor Zijie Yan.
Posted — UpdatedQi, 34, faces first-degree murder and gun possession charges following the deadly on-campus shooting that triggered a campus-wide lockdown.
Documents obtained through a search warrant offer new insight into what led up to the shooting.
The documents reveal the following:
- Emergency contact link: Application paperwork from a local gun range established a connection between Qi and the murdered professor, with Qi listing Yan as his emergency contact.
- Gun purchase: A gun was reportedly sold to Qi days before the incident. The seller confirmed Qi's identity through photos.
- Unauthorized access: Court documents reveal unauthorized access to another student's online portal, allegedly accessed by Qi.
Court docs shows Qi went to gun range, listed Yan as emergency contact
Court documents said after Qi's arrest, a Wake County shooting range contacted law enforcement because they recognized the suspected shooter. Range management said Qi had visited the range on two occasions, according to court documents.
Court documents revealed that he purchased two boxes of ammunition, Sig Sauer 9mm Luger hollow points, while at the range.
Documents said a search warrant was authorized and executed on Aug. 29, 2023, at Qi's apartment in Chapel Hill. Investigators found a note that read "Glock 43X" next to a username for carolinafirearmsforum.com, a website designed for peer-to-peer sales and firearm related discussions, court documents said.
On Aug. 31, 2023, court documents show that investigators contacted the user, who said he sold a Glock 43X to a man a few days prior. After investigators met with this witness, court documents said the user positively identified a picture of Qi as the person who purchased the Glock 43X. The witness said the person who purchased the firearm was driving a silver car that investigators believe was Qi's Nissan Versa, according to court documents.
Court documents revealed the phone number that the seller used to coordinate the sale was the same phone number associated with the phone investigators seized from Qi at the time of his arrest.
Qi gained unauthorized access to student's online portal, court docs say
The UNC IT department discovered that a student account had been accessed by someone other than the account holder, according to court documents. On or about Aug. 1, 2023, court documents revealed that the student holder of the account, who was out of the country, tried but failed to access her online portal.
Court documents said it was discovered that a male student called the UNC help desk and tricked them into changing the student's account settings to allow for two-factor authentication – using the same phone number associated with the phone that was found in Qi's possession at the time of his arrest.
Documents said the IT department confirmed that two-factor authentication messages were sent to Qi's alleged phone, allowing him to gain unauthorized access to the student account on or about Aug. 1, 2023.
After the unauthorized user accessed the student's online portal, court documents said emails from the student's account were downloaded to an external device that was connected to the UNC computer system network. Qi admitted to this unauthorized access, according to court documents.
Following Qi's mental health treatment, he may not recover enough to be fit for trial. Even if Qi is tried at a later time, he could be found not guilty by reason of insanity.
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
