Kevin Jiang, 26, was found on Saturday with multiple gunshot wounds.
A Yale University graduate who was described by officials as someone who wanted to use his education to “make the world a better place” was fatally shot near the New Haven, Connecticut campus and police said they were investigating if he was the target .
New Haven police chief Otoniel Reyes on Monday identified the murdered student as 26-year-old Kevin Jiang from West Haven and asked the public for help in identifying and capturing his killer.
Jiang was a former member of the Army National Guard and a sophomore undergraduate student at the Ivy League University School of Environment.
The Yale community is currently grieving. This is the loss of an extraordinary young man. He was determined to use his talents to make the world a better place, ”Yale president Peter Salovey said at Monday’s press conference.
Reyes said police received numerous 911 calls on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. and responded to the East Rock neighborhood, several blocks northeast of the university, where they found Jiang suffering multiple gunshot wounds. He said Jiang was pronounced dead on the spot.
“We are investigating whether or not Mr. Jiang was the target of this incident,” Reyes said. “We have developed information to suggest that this incident may not have been really an arbitrary act, but that it was in fact the target.”
Reyes said police are also investigating whether Jiang was shot after a traffic accident.
He said Jiang was driving a vehicle around the time of the shooting and that he was familiar with the area where the murder took place, but Reyes declined to say whether Jiang was in or outside his car when he was killed.
“We really believe he was there for a purpose. We just can’t share that at this point,” Reyes said, adding that the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Yale University Police Department are assisting in the investigation.
“We’re looking into every possibility, including whether or not there was an accident that caused this incident or whether it was road rage,” Reyes said.
Salovey said that in addition to his studies, Jiang volunteered at a homeless shelter, where he cooked and distributed food. He said Jiang also researched mercury levels in fish in the Quinnipiac River Watershed and helped manufacturers comply with local and federal environmental laws.
“Kevin gave so much to this community and we worked together. We fondly remember him. We feel for his family, his fiancé and offer our condolences to them, ”Salovey said. This is a tragedy that has hurt us all. I hope that in the coming days we can focus on each other’s well-being and support each other. “
Jiang’s death is the sixth murder in New Haven this year, police said. In 2020, New Haven recorded 122 shootings and 20 murders, up from 77 shootings and 11 murders in 2019, according to Reyes.