An arrest warrant has been issued for a fugitive who authorities believe killed a Yale University graduate student and U.S. Army Veteran, WTIC-TV reports.
Qinxuan Pan, 29, has been charged with the February 6 murder of Kevin Jiang, 26, in New Haven, Connecticut.
Investigators had previously identified Pan, a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as a person of interest in the case.
Pan has not yet been captured, but police have ramped up their search for him in the Atlanta area, where he was last spotted, according to the New York Post.
A motive for the slaying has not yet been determined. Police have speculated that Jiang may have been shot because of road rage, but Pan had also known or at least met Jiang’s fiancée, Zion Perry, at a birthday party last year. Perry and Pan also attended MIT at the same time.
However, there is no indication of a romantic relationship between Pan and Perry, according to the New Haven Independent.
Jiang was shot multiple times around 8:30 p.m. on February 6 near Perry’s apartment and found lying outside his vehicle. There is evidence that Perry had been in the vicinity of the shooting, the Independent reports.
Investigators tracked Pan to a Best Western hotel in New Haven hours after Jiang’s body was found, however, Pan never checked out and it appeared he may not have even stayed in the room, WVIT-TV reports.
Pan was last seen in Georgia, where he was carrying a black backpack and unusual, according to WVIT-TV.
Once captured, Pan would be held on $5 million bail, according to WTIC-TV.
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Pan’s capture, the New Haven Register reports. To report information about Pan’s whereabouts, call 1-877-Wanted-2 (1-877-926-8332).
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[Featured image: Left: Kevin Jiang and Zion Perry/Facebook Right: Qinxuan Pan/New Haven Police Department]