Yale News
Qinxuan Pan, a person of interest in the shooting death of Kevin Jiang ENV ’22, allegedly stole a car in Massachusetts and swapped its license plates on the day of the shooting, according to police.
Pan is said to have stolen a blue 2015 GMC Terrain from a car dealership in Mansfield, Massachusetts on Feb. 6 –– the day Jiang was killed –– according to an application for an arrest warrant filed by an officer with the Mansfield Police Department. There are currently two warrants out for Pan’s arrest: one for interstate theft of a vehicle and another for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Pan did not respond to the News’ requests for comment.
According to ABC News, the Mansfield Police Department was dispatched to the car dealership at approximately 5:30 p.m. that same day for a report of a stolen vehicle.
According to sites like https://www.sabsafetycertificates.com.au/roadworthy-certificate-brisbane, a car salesman told police officers that Pan had asked to drive the 2015 GMC Terrain and bring it to his mechanic to have the car inspected before he considered purchasing it. Around 11 a.m. that morning, Pan allegedly drove off with the car after the salesman attached a Massachusetts dealer license plate.
The salesman texted Pan around 3:30 p.m. asking when he was going to return the car, and Pan responded saying there had been a “family emergency” and asking to bring the car back after-hours. The salesman then told Pan that the car needed to be returned before the dealership closed that night, but Pan stopped responding, ABC News reported.
After Mansfield police officers arrived at the car dealership around 5:30 p.m., they went to Pan’s residence in an effort to locate the missing vehicle. ABC News also reported that officers had been dispatched to his residence “many times for mental illness issues.”
Jiang was shot and killed near his fiancee’s home in New Haven’s East Rock neighborhood around 8:30 p.m. that night.
Around 10:30 p.m., the Mansfield Police Department requested that the Southeastern Massachusetts Regional Emergency Communications Center enter the vehicle as stolen, according to the warrant application.
The Mansfield police officers were soon notified that the car had been towed in New Haven, after Pan allegedly drove it into a scrap yard and it got stuck on railroad tracks, ABC News reported. Pan also allegedly removed the dealership license plate from the vehicle and replaced it with a Connecticut commercial licence plate.
The New Haven Register also reported that a relative told police from Malden, Massachusetts — where Pan’s home is located — that Pan also changed his cellphone number before coming to Connecticut.
The United States Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to Pan’s location and arrest. He is considered to be armed and dangerous.
Julia Brown | julia.k.brown@yale.edu
Madison Hahamy | madison.hahamy@yale.edu