The University of Southern California was in shock when two graduate students were shot and killed about a mile from campus. M.Q. and Y.W., both aged 23, were sitting in a BMW when an unknown individual came and shot them both. Possible motives could be carjacking or robbery as some items were missing, but police do not yet know why exactly they were killed. M.Q. was shot several times, including in the head, but he was still able to get out of the car and run to a neighbor’s home. The other victim was shot once in the chest.
Both of these graduate students had left Beijing one year ago to work on earning a master’s degree in electrical engineering and they were both set to graduate in December. The crime rate in the neighborhoods surrounding USC is high. Even though the rate is 20% down this year, it is still a dangerous area to live. Students wonder if there is more that authorities can do to protect them from the many gangs in the area, such as allowing campus police to patrol the area.
This is not the first killing to occur in the area. The last murder was in 2008 when another 23-year-old student was stabbed. As authorities are still investigating this incident, they have offered a $125,000 reward for anyone who has information regarding the incident or who the killer was. So far, the only theories are speculations, and they are still unsure of exactly why these students were killed.
If you or a loved one were accused of a gang crime,carjacking,murder, orrobbery, you are in a very serious situation. In order to fight back against these grave allegations, you need a skilled and aggressiveLos Angeles criminal defense lawyer from our team. If you would like to learn how the professionals at Martinian & Associates could help you,contact a Los Angeles criminal attorney as soon as possible.