New Haven Police Investigating Potential Romantic Jealousy As Motive Behind Shooting Death Of Yale Graduate Student
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- Police in New Haven say they're making steady progress as they search for the killer of a Yale University graduate student.
Looking for a secret hidden in the snow, police searched an area behind a hotel for evidence Thursday afternoon. CBS2's Tony Aiello reported on the intensifying investigation.
They're trying to piece together the movements of Qinxuan Pan, the person of interest in the Saturday shooting death of Kevin Jiang.
Two hours after Jiang was shot multiple times after a fender bender in New Haven, Pan got a room in the hotel, which is eight miles from the crime scene.
CBS2 learned he was given a key to Room 276, but never actually went inside.
Investigators said Pan briefly interacted with cops in nearby North Haven just hours after the homicide. He was in a stolen vehicle, but North Haven police declined to answer questions about how that interaction unfolded.
New Haven police believe Pan is no longer in the area.
"Mr. Pan should be considered armed and dangerous, and that extreme caution should be used if you come in contact with this individual," said Chief Tony Reyes.
The U.S. Marshals, who are reportedly searching for Pan in the Atlanta area, are offering a reward up to $5,000 for information leading to his location and arrest.
Pan is a researcher in an artificial intelligence lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where Jiang's fiancee recently graduated from.
Police want to know if romantic jealousy was a factor in the crime, one of many possible motives under investigation.
