REVEALED: Wuhan student’s rambling social media posts calling out bullies and ‘tattletale’ girls as he’s arrested over UNC shooting that left a faculty member dead
The former Wuhan University student who was arrested over a shooting at the University of North Carolina has rambled on social media about bullies, “tattletales” and being overworked in the months leading up to the fatal ordeal.
Suspect Tailei Qi is a PhD student in physics at UNC and was arrested after gunfire broke out on the first day of school. A faculty member was shot and killed, police confirmed.
He was seen handcuffed about a mile away from campus after an active gunman alert was issued Monday.
At a press conference Monday evening, investigators said they had not yet discovered a motive behind the shooting. Officials also confirmed that charges against Qi had not yet been filed.
They have not confirmed the identity of the deceased staff member.
But a series of disturbing social media posts have surfaced, in which Qi complained about his UNC colleagues and criticized school bullies.
Police have issued this mug shot as a “person of interest” in the current active “armed and dangerous person” situation. Suspect Tailei Qi is a PhD student in physics at UNC and was arrested after gunfire broke out on the first day of school. A professor was shot and killed, police confirmed
Tailei Qi can be seen in an image provided to WRAL, sitting on the floor near a property about a mile away from campus, wearing a dark-colored shirt and glasses.
The graduate student has previously studied at Wuhan University in 2015, and studied at the Department of Applied Natural Sciences. In addition, he obtained a master’s degree in materials science in 2021 from Louisiana State University.
Qi wrote on July 31: “I would like to make new friends. I am a second year PhD student interested in nanoparticle synthesis, optical trapping, self-assembly, spectra analysis and ML.
‘A bit silly in the trifles of everyday life, talking very enthusiastically about research. Reach me when you are inerest (sic).’
He often complained about his PI – or Principal Investigator – which is the common name for the head of the lab at a research center.
It is unclear whether the late professor was shot dead on Monday before teaching Qi.
In a tweet dated Oct. 31, 2022, he wrote, “Both the group of people who say I’m lazy and those to prove I work hard instead of telling me they’re trying to gobble up my privacy.
“I think their motivation is just to tell my PI and then control me by telling stories.”
On August 18 last year, he wrote, “Just talk to my PI and keep his promise. He should have more experience with these girls and click stories.
“Then we can just get out of this stupid topic. Let’s just turn our attention to nature. I won’t change anything if it’s not necessary.’
He also complained that he was tired from the hours he worked.
Footage shows how the suspected attacker is put in the back of a police car by officers after he has been arrested. The police have since issued an ‘all clear’ message
On Nov. 12, he said, “Last semester, I walk more than 80 hours a week and feel relaxed and energized. Now I only work 60+ hours a week and I feel tired.
“Only because I spend too much time convincing myself that I’m only working out of interest, rather than showing others that I’m working.”
In another tweet from July 18 last year, he said, “I just feel my privacy is being insulted.
“When I work, I think I show the boss that I work rather than my interests, devaluing the meaning of my work. That’s so disgusting.
“Self-respect keeps me from working. Then it takes effort to convince myself that what I do is only because I like it.’
And he also complained about being overworked and “insincere” friends.
Qi wrote on May 30, “These kind of people may be a good man, but they may not be a sincere friend. For a PhD student, paying a lot of attention to working time every day is really childish…
“I know a lot of people want me to show them work and work, but no… that’s not human at all.”
The alleged shooter also complained about bullying in the US.
He wrote, “Bullying in America appears to be a problem. It often happens that people don’t stop them the first time. Explanation is not a solution, but makes them feel that others will advocate for them every time they bring up a problem, making them a voyeur day and night trying to find an excuse.”
During the lockdown on Monday, the university repeatedly issued warnings urging members of the campus community to stay sheltered.
Video taken at the scene shows students jumping from university windows as the shooting took place
About two hours after the initial alarm went off, officers continued to arrive in droves, with about 50 police vehicles on the scene and helicopters circling over the school.
It took about an hour and a half for the lockdown to be lifted after the arrest as authorities made sure they had the correct suspect in custody.
The building where gunfire erupted is steps away from the school’s iconic clock tower and steps away from the store that sells books and other student merchandise.
Students were seen jumping out of windows during the panic.
Classes started a week ago at UNC, the country’s first public university. The university, with about 20,000 students and 12,000 graduate students, canceled classes on Tuesday.
Friends of the alleged shooter said he came across as “nice” and was “very quiet” when they studied together.
Ayden Scott told WRAL: ‘I never could have imagined that he would be the kind of person who would be capable of this sort of thing. He was always very quiet.’
“Every time he talked to me, he seemed really nice. When I saw his face in the online reports, I was beyond shocked.’
In a message from Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he confirmed the loss of a staff member in the shooting.
His message read: “I am saddened to report that one of our faculty members was killed in this shooting.
“We are awaiting confirmation that the next of kin have been contacted before sharing more information.
Footage from the scene showed staff and students, draped in their chemistry coats, being led out of the building as dozens of officers stormed the campus
Tailei Qi, who graduated from Wuhan University in 2015, is pictured as wanting to speak to UNC police in connection with the incident
“I am devastated and saddened by today’s shooting at one of our campus buildings, a place where we conduct our important work of teaching, mentoring and research every day.
“This shooting has damaged the trust and safety that we so often take for granted on our campus.
“We will work to rebuild that trust and security. Our thoughts are with the family of our fellow faculty member, those personally connected to the victim, and those traumatized by this senseless act of violence.”
Last month, Qi shared an article he wrote about optical binding on LinkedIn, which was published in his name as well as two others, including his advisor.
Prior to his studies at UNC and LSU, Qi was a research assistant at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Guangdong, China, and a researcher at the Suzhou Advanced materials Research Institute for nearly two years.
He graduated from Wuhan University with a minor in Business Administration and Management, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Physics.