Former University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) student Jonathan Zheng was arrested at his home on May 2 by police, and he was preliminarily charged with “making written threats to kill or conduct a mass shooting.”
According to reports, 22-year-old Zheng was previously expelled from UIUC, but the school did not disclose the reason for his expulsion.
On the evening of May 1, Zheng used an anonymous account to post on the UIUC section of a Reddit forum, saying that he planned to “shoot up the school.”” ）。 The post was quickly removed by the platform because it contained too much threatening content.
The University of Illinois Police Department received a report from the public, and soon locked the mastermind Zheng at his home in Florida.
In the face of police questioning, Zheng confessed to his behavior and was eventually put in a local jail for his “high mouth.”
This is not the first time this has happened to Chinese students.
In April 2022, a prospective international student expressed their joy on social media after receiving an offer from Columbia University, saying, “Finally, I can go to the US and buy a gun to shoot Americans.”
Perhaps this student’s intention was merely “a joke” or a moment of careless talk, but for American campuses that are frequently threatened by gun violence, it undoubtedly touched upon the most sensitive nerves.
As expected, this unfunny and chilling social media post was reported to the authorities at Columbia University.
On April 14th, Columbia University sent a revocation letter via email, which was issued by The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science.
From the rejection letter, it can be seen that the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University made the decision to revoke the student’s admission. The email also mentioned that the university made the immediate decision to revoke the student’s admission to the Master of Science in Chemical Engineering program after discussing with him.
Another similar incident was also shared by netizens: in 2016, a 22-year-old Chinese student named Ni, who was studying at the University of Iowa and had just obtained a gun permit, posted a picture of himself holding a gun on social media, and wrote: “I have been studying so hard this semester. If the school still fails me, let the professors experience the fear of Lu Gang (a Chinese student who committed a mass shooting at Virginia Tech)”.
Lu Gang, who was also an international student, killed four teachers and a student in 1991, a fact that was well known in the Chinese community.
On November 1, 1991, Lu Gang, a Chinese doctoral student at the University of Iowa, He shot and killed three professors and vice president Ann Clary, as well as a Chinese student, Lin Shanhua, who also earned a doctorate degree with Lu Gang. After shooting five people, Lu Gang shot himself on the spot.
Upon learning of this, the University of Iowa immediately expelled Ni, and soon after the student visa was revoked, Ni was deported. After that he said he was Hi… But I’m sorry, American police and American universities don’t spoil you.
Some netizens replied:
Recently, there have been many vicious incidents in American universities, and the news of Chinese students involved in bad cases has been frequent.
On May 5, for example, a 29-year-old Chinese doctor was charged with 15 felony counts of child pornography, with $8 million in bail and a maximum sentence of 110 years.
When we go abroad, everyone protects themselves at the same time.Also remember to follow local laws.Don’t lose your future because of impulse…
