new haven

U.S. Marshals Expand Search Nationwide for Suspect Accused in Murder of Yale Graduate Student

NBC Universal, Inc.

The U.S. Marshals have expanded the search nationwide for murder suspect Qinxuan Pan, who is accused of killing a Yale graduate student in February, the agency announced Monday.

On Friday, New Haven police secured an arrest warrant for murder for Pan who was previously wanted for questioning in connection to the death of that Yale graduate student earlier this month. Pan remains at large and is the subject of a manhunt by the U.S. Marshals.

The arrest warrant charges Pan with murder in the fatal shooting of Kevin Jiang, according to police.

"We are committed to working tirelessly, leveraging our nationwide resources and global reach to bring this individual to justice," said U.S. Marshal Lawrence J. Bobnick of the District of Connecticut.

New Haven police said Monday a Yale grad student who was shot and killed over the weekend may have been targeted.

In February, Jiang, 26, was found lying outside of his car with multiple gunshot wounds on Lawrence Street in New Haven and was pronounced dead at the scene. He was a graduate student at the Yale School of the Environment and was set to graduate next year, police said.

A week after he was killed, a Yale graduate student is being laid to rest in a private service Saturday afternoon.

Police said Pan visited car dealerships in Connecticut and Massachusetts before the shooting. Pan, 29, visited car dealerships looking to purchase a small model SUV and even asked to test drive vehicles, according to police. Police said Pan also asked to bring the vehicles to his mechanic for inspection.

On the day of the shooting, Pan stole a car before driving to Connecticut, according to a police report.

The report filed by police in Mansfield, Massachusetts, alleged Pan took a blue GMC Terrain for a test drive from a dealership on Feb. 6 and never returned it. Pan also allegedly put a commercial Connecticut license plate on the vehicle to conceal its identity, the New Haven Register reported.

According to the Mansfield police report, Pan left the dealership with the car at around 11 a.m. When a salesman called him at 5:30 p.m. to ask when he would be returning, Pan allegedly asked for more time, saying he had a family emergency. He then stopped responding to texts and phone calls.

New Haven police named a Massachusetts man as a person of interest in Saturday’s shooting death of Yale grad student Kevin Jiang.

Pan's last known address is in Malden, Massachusetts, and he is a graduate of MIT.

Police did not say whether Pan and Jiang had an existing relationship. However, MIT confirmed that Pan has been enrolled as a graduate student at the university since 2014. Jiang's fiancee graduated from MIT in 2020.

U.S. Marshals are offering a $10,000 cash reward for information leading to Pan's arrest.

The U.S. Marshals Service said Qinxuan Pan, wanted for questioning in connection to the death of Yale grad student Kevin Jiang, was spotted in Georgia on Thursday morning.

Pan was last seen in the early morning hours on Feb. 11 driving with family members in Brookhaven or Duluth, Georgia, according to the U.S. Marshals. According to family, Pan was carrying a black backpack and acting strange. 

Anyone with information about Pan’s whereabouts should call the U.S. Marshals at 1-877-Wanted-2 (1-877-926-8332).

Pan should be considered armed and dangerous and people should not attempt to apprehend him themselves, according to the U.S. Marshals.

NBC Connecticut / Associated Press
Contact Us