In just the second week of fall semester classes, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill entered a lockdown due to an early afternoon school shooting. All classes and campus events were canceled for multiple days, and students were instructed to shelter in place. 

The suspect, Tailei Qi, was identified within minutes of gunfire by 911 call and immediately arrested. Tailei Qi, 34, was a graduate student at UNC, who previously studied at Louisiana State University and Wuhan University. The motive for the shooting is still unknown.

The victim, professor Zijie Yan, was an associate professor in the department of Applied Physical Sciences, and was also listed as an academic advisor of Qi. Yan is remembered as a caring father to two children, an avid fisher, and a passionate researcher and author. 

While the UNC Chapel Hill community mourns, students’ responses have been tremendous. A crowd of over 100 people gathered on campus to listen to student activists rally for gun control. Multiple posts on social media made by students depicting their reality during the shooting have been circulating and going viral. And just today, the front page of the UNC student-run newspaper displayed text messages to and from the community during the shooting and lockdown. “Are you safe? Where are you? Are you alone?” and “Hey- come on sweetheart, I need to hear from you. Can you hear any gunshots?” were among the dozens shown. 

According to a CNN tally, there have been 49 school shootings since the start of 2023. 

Guest Writer: Faith Nah