$125K reward offered in slayings of 2 USC students
Apr 13, 2012, 11:37 PM
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A $125,000 reward was announced Friday for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who shot and killed two Chinese graduate students near the University of Southern California this week.
Police and USC officials made the announcement in the case of Ming Qu, 23, of Jilin, and Ying Wu, 23, of Hunan, who were both shot while sitting in a BMW about a mile away from the USC campus.
Authorities have not yet released a description of the shooter, who fled on foot in the rain. However, they did say that some items belonging to the victims are missing, but wouldn’t elaborate.
Investigators said the attack Wednesday might have been part of a robbery or attempted carjacking, but other possibilities have not been discounted. Witnesses said the car was in the roadway, not at the curb, at the time of the shooting.
Qu, who was shot multiple times including in the head, managed to get out of the car and run to a nearby home, police said. Wu was shot once in the chest.
The victims’ families are expected to arrive in the United States next week, said Clay Dube, executive director of the USC-China Institute.
“As a parent of a graduate student who doesn’t live at home, I can relate to these parents,” said Deputy Chief Patrick Gannon. “It’s the worst news a parent could hear.”
No funeral arrangements have been made.
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