'I know exactly who it is': 911 call reveals tense moments following on-campus shooting at UNC
A 911 call from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill details the harrowing moments following the fatal shooting of a professor in a laboratory building.
The caller said she knew the alleged shooter, Tailei Qi, telling the dispatcher, "I know exactly who it is" from Caudill Labs. Zijie Yan, a professor, academic advisor and researcher, was killed in the shooting.
The caller was stricken with panic, but composed enough to give a name and key details to the 911 center.
“Close the doors and stay inside,” the caller said. “There’s an active shooter.”
The dispatcher asked the caller if she knew who the shooter was.
“I do,” the caller said. “I know exactly who it is.
“I know who the student is. His name is Tailei Qi and he has a gun and he’s on campus.”
“I saw him leaving,” the caller continued.
“I’m telling them to send an ambulance,” the caller said.
The dispatcher said they need EMS for a gunshot wound victim.
“We need immediate help,” the caller said.
The dispatcher then asked the caller whether the gun used was a short one or long one.
“I think it’s a short one,” the caller said.
The call lasted roughly four minutes.
The shooting reportedly happened sometime around 1 p.m. At 1:03 p.m., an alert from the university was sent out to the campus community. No campus surveillance video or police body cam footage has been produced as of Thursday.
On Thursday, Orange County District Attorney Jeff Nieman said the gun used in the shooting has yet to be found.
On Monday, Qi was taken into custody in a neighborhood north of campus around 2:40 p.m.
Yan, 40, was a father of two children. Thousands came to honor Yan on Wednesday with a moment of silence at the university's Bell Tower and later a candlelight vigil at the Smith Center. Another vigil is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 5 at the Cary Arts Center at 8 p.m.
UNC canceled classes on Tuesday and Wednesday in light of the shooting.
