Researcher involved in 'very important discovery' of new coronavirus murdered, suspect commits suicide

A researcher who was said to be 'on the brink of making a crucial discovery' in his research into the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has been shot multiple times and killed.

Pitt mourns med school research professor Bing Liu, who was found shot to death | University Times | University of Pittsburgh
https://www.utimes.pitt.edu/news/pitt-mourns-med-school

Police: 'Zero Evidence' Murder Of Pitt Researcher Close To 'Making Very Significant Findings' On Coronavirus Was Related To His Work – CBS Pittsburgh
https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020/05/06/university-of-pittsburgh-coronavirus-research-murder-suicide/

Department Mourns the Passing of Dr. Bing Liu | Computational & Systems Biology
https://www.csb.pitt.edu/department-mourns-the-passing-of-dr-bing-liu/

Bing Liu: University of Pittsburgh professor killed in apparent murder-suicide, officials say - CNN
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/06/us/university-of-pittsburgh-professor-killed/index.html

Dr. Bing Liu (37), an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh, was found dead in his home on the afternoon of Saturday, May 2, 2020, with multiple gunshot wounds to his body.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the shooter is believed to be Hao Gu, the medical examiner for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, who then returned to his car and committed suicide.

An autopsy revealed that Dr. Liu had been shot multiple times in the head, neck and torso. The weather was fine at the time of the murder, Dr. Liu had left the patio door open, and his wife was not home.

Los Angeles police said the two men knew each other and that they believe the killing was the result of an 'intimate partner dispute.' They also said there is 'no evidence that this tragedy is related to his work at the University of Pittsburgh or the health crisis facing the United States and the world.'

The Los Angeles Police Department said the investigation will be handled by federal authorities because the two men who died were not U.S. citizens.

After earning his PhD and bachelor's degree in computer science from the National University of Singapore, Dr. Liu began research at the University of Pittsburgh in 2014, where he was most recently on the brink of making important discoveries about the cellular mechanisms underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection and complications. 'His loss will be felt throughout the scientific community, and we plan to complete his research as a tribute to his scientific excellence,' the university said.