Suspect Accused Of Killing UNC Staff Member Found Unfit For Trial

The suspect will now be committed to a hospital for psychological treatment and doctors will be required to notify authorities if his condition improves.

The suspect accused of shooting a University of North Carolina staff member on school grounds has been found unfit for trial.

34-year-old Tailei Qi is accused of killing associate professor Zijie Yan in a science building at the state’s flagship public university on August 28th. He is detained without bond on charges of first-degree murder and misdemeanor possession of a firearm on educational property.

On Monday, the judge overseeing the case declared him unfit for trial after two separate mental evaluations found he likely suffers from untreated schizophrenia. The suspect reportedly “demonstrated delusional thinking, experienced auditory hallucinations, engaged in self-harm in the detention center, and showed fragmented thought processes that impeded his communication.”

The judge ruled that Qi will now be committed to a hospital for psychological treatment and doctors will be required to notify authorities if his condition improves.