Tragedy Strikes UNC Campus Shooting
According to university officials and the police, on Monday afternoon, a graduate student allegedly killed a fellow member of an organization by shooting him in Chapel Hill on the UN-C campus, resulting in the campus being closed for several hours.
The suspect, Kyu Lee, is a graduate student in Applied Physics, who was taken into custody on Monday afternoon. The police stated in a press conference on Monday evening that formal charges are pending.
Unveiling the Enigma
The victim’s identity was not confirmed by university officials and the police because he had informed his family about their work. The motive has not been determined by the police, but Kyu’s Twitter posts have expressed disappointment, stress, and depression. Throughout this year and the previous year, he made a series of vague posts about conflicts with other students and their “PI” or principal investigator, who is usually a member appointed by the university to work with students on research projects.
It is unclear if he is the same PI who was killed.
Struggles with Privacy and Motivation
On July 18, 2022, Kyu wrote in a Twitter post, “I feel that my privacy has been violated.” This is very disgraceful. Pride prevents me from working. Then it takes a lot of effort to convince myself that I do what I do just because I like it.”
In October 2022, he again made vague posts about conflicts with his PI and other students: “Both groups say that I am lazy and need to prove to work hard instead of trying to enjoy my privacy,” he posted on October 31, 2022. “I think their motivation is just to tell my PI and then manipulate me by telling stories.”
Insights and Controversies
He posted, “But it’s strange when I talked to my PI about it.” “He said that no one has talked to him about this. So is there anything else for these people besides idle speculation?”
In a separate post on May 30 this year, he expressed disappointment in his work environment: “For a Ph.D. student, paying more attention during working hours is actually protecting oneself… I know many people want me to show them working, but no… it’s not at all humane.”
In June this year, he posted a series of vague posts that defamed women. On June 5, he posted: “Several discriminatory situations in society: The minimum wage harms the poor instead of protecting them; gender quotas are not for protecting women but for promoting discrimination.”
Unveiling the Enigma
On the evening of June 12th, a post was made by them, “When a girl like this also displays her ‘best’ performance in begging for my ‘help’ from others, then everyone looks at me with a low gaze.”
Several tweets before that were deleted without any context.
On July 31st, they posted about wanting to make new friends.
They posted, “I want to make some new friends.” “I am a second-year PhD student, interested in nanocon investigations, optical trapping, self-assembly, spectral analysis, and ML. Enthusiastic about discussing research in small daily matters.”
On the same day, they posted a cryptic single sentence: “What is truth?”
The students remained stuck in classrooms for hours.
The university immediately sent a Carolina Alert message to the Campus shooting community right after 1 PM. On Monday, news of gunshots in Kadle Labs, which houses chemical science labs, came in. The campus canceled all classes and events – including a special meeting of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees.
Campus Community Unites
As the police were searching for the suspect, students, teachers, and staff took shelter in classrooms, libraries, labs, and dorms, turned off lights, and barricaded doors.
At 2:35 PM, the university police released a photo of Qui and identified him as a person of interest. According to UNC-Chapel Hill Police, a separate person, who was not involved in the shooting, was initially taken into custody on Monday but later released. Police took Qui into custody at 2:31 PM. According to a statement from UNC Police, about a mile away from the perimeter with Williams Circle.
During a press conference, Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said, “It’s really a time for the community to come together.” “It’s unfortunate that these tragedies are happening all over our country. So we’re preparing for the community and we’re talking about the feelings of the community. For now, my thoughts and prayers are with the affected families, friends, colleagues, and students who are part of that department.”
UNC Hospital was also put on lockdown in the afternoon, but a hospital spokesperson said they have not encountered any injured individuals related to this incident. The lock was removed right after 4 PM, and the police issued an “all clear.”
On the evening of June 12th, a post was made by them. After the lockdown was lifted, the police and FBI agents were present on campus and were promoting in the Cadil Labs area, where a bullet hole could be seen in a window.
During the press conference, it was stated by James, “This is a day for which we are trained.” “However, we hope that it will never come.”
Monday marked the second week of the fall semester on campus. Classes were canceled on Tuesday.
Ensuring Safety and Unity
On Monday, Gusquiza said to the students, “I am sorry that many of you are feeling uncertain about your safety right now.” “We have very good protocols. Nothing is more important than the safety of our community members on our premises, and undoubtedly, our nearly 30,000 students are at the top of the list along with our faculty and staff.”
Gusquiza said, “We are here for you.” “I am urging you to use all those resources that you may need. We will come together as a community to ensure your safety and the safety of anyone who comes to our campus in Chapel Hill.”
The deadly shooting at UNCG-Greensboro occurred just days after the shooting on the campus of N.C. A&T State University.
After a physical altercation outside the Student Center on campus, a person was injured in a shooting on Friday night in that area. The police were informed of at least ten shots being fired. Although officials and police said that the student was not involved in the incident on campus, Chancellor Herald Martin said that the university police are increasing patrols and using a new policy that allows police to remove unwanted individuals from the premises.
Lisa Sorg and Clayton Henkel of N.C. Newsline contributed to this report.
Table of Contents
FAQ
1. What happened on the UN-C campus on Monday afternoon?
According to university officials and the police, a graduate student named Kyu Lee allegedly shot and killed a fellow member of an organization on Monday afternoon in Chapel Hill on the UN-C campus. This incident led to the closure of the campus for several hours.
2. Who is the suspect in this incident?
The suspect is Kyu Lee, a graduate student in Applied Physics. He was taken into custody by the police on Monday afternoon. Formal charges are pending, as stated by the police during a press conference.
3. What is known about the victim?
The identity of the victim has not been confirmed by university officials and the police due to concerns about their family being informed. The victim had kept their work confidential.
4. What might have been the motive behind the shooting?
The police have not determined the motive for the shooting. However, Kyu Lee’s Twitter posts in the past expressed feelings of disappointment, stress, and depression. He also made vague posts about conflicts with other students and their principal investigator (PI) in the past.
5. Who is a principal investigator (PI)?
A principal investigator (PI) is usually a member appointed by the university to work with students on research projects.
