Following the fatal shooting of a Chinese student studying at Arizona State University, several other foreign-exchange students are discussing buying firearms for self defense.
Tempe police say 19-year-old Jiang Yue was shot by Mesa, Ariz. resident Holly Davis after Davis’ vehicle struck the back of Jiang’s car at a stop light near the intersection of Broadway and McClintock Drive on Saturday at about 2:40 p.m.
Afterward, Jiang’s 21-year-old passenger stepped out of the vehicle but retreated back inside after seeing Davis approaching him with a gun. Davis then fired several rounds through the drivers’ window before a wounded Jiang attempted to drive away. Jiang ended up crashing into another vehicle carrying a family of five. The family members didn’t suffer serious injuries, but Jiang later died in a hospital.
“The incident has prompted many students to consider buying guns,” one student told the China Daily newspaper. “A student in my class has six guns. I am thinking about buying one, too.”
After the shooting, ASU’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association began publishing and distributing flyers promoting the safe use of fire arms.
“It is an unusual incident, so don’t buy a gun out of panic,” reads an online statement from the association. “The aim of owning a gun is to protect yourself, but it may also pose dangers before you know how to use it.”
According to police, Davis fled the scene of the shooting. She was tracked back to a Mesa apartment where she was arrested after witnesses provided police with her license plate numbers. Her boyfriend told police the two had been drinking earlier during the day and that she had been taking oxycodone. It’s not clear whether she was intoxicated during the time of the incident.
Davis is facing four felony charges including first-degree murder and possession of a weapon by a prohibited person.
According to court documents cited by WALB News, police found a note in Davis’ apartment that was “consistent with defendant planning to engage in violence.” The paperwork also suggests Davis has a history of addiction and mental illness.
About 200 people gathered on Monday for a memorial service for Jiang near the intersection where the shooting occurred.
The story of Jiang’s killing has been trending on Weibo, also known as China’s Twitter, with more than 12 million views since Monday. Several Internet users are also citing past cases involving the shooting deaths of Chinese students in the US.
Jiang was a native of Chongqing province in China. She was studying finance at ASU, where her semester had just begun.
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