Suspected UNC-Chapel Hill shooter Tailei Qi charged with murder

Tailei Qi, a graduate student accused of fatally shooting a faculty member at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, has been charged with first-degree murder.

Authorities on campus responded to reports of shots fired at Caudill Labs Monday afternoon. When they arrived on the scene just after 1 p.m., police discovered a single victim suffering from a fatal gunshot wound. The violence triggered a lockdown warning and emergency sirens rang across campus, prompting terrified students to take cover and barricade themselves inside classrooms, bathrooms and dormitories.

Qi, an applied physical sciences major, was arrested about an hour later. Authorities did not provide any details about their confrontation with or capture of the suspect, but WRAL reported it took place in a residential neighborhood not far from UNC-Chapel Hill, already packed with students for the start of its fall semester.

A motive for the shooting remained unclear Tuesday morning and officers are still searching for the weapon used in the attack.

The victim, described only as a university faculty member, was not publicly identified pending notification of family. No other injuries were reported.

With News Wire Services