37 Yr Old Corona Virus Researcher is Gunned to Down At His Home in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The biology department at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is in mourning after the shooting death of a scientist who it says was studying the biological makeup of the coronavirus and was on the “verge of making very significant findings toward understanding” the disease.

Bing Liu, 37, a research assistant professor, was shot dead Saturday in his suburban Pittsburgh home. He allegedly knew his killer, a man who walked to his car after the shooting and killed himself, according to reports.

Liu’s research centers on computational systems biology, and apparently his coronavirus research was leading to breakthroughs.

“Bing was on the verge of making very significant findings toward understanding the cellular mechanisms that underlie SARS-CoV-2 infection and the cellular basis of the following complications,” the biology department said in a statement. “We will make an effort to complete what he started in an effort to pay homage to his scientific excellence.”

Liu suffered gunshot wounds to his head, neck, and torso in the incident that happened around noon, according to reports.

Liu was from China and lived with his wife, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported. They had no children.

A motive for the shooting has not been disclosed.

Ivet Bahar, the head of Liu’s department told the paper Liu was a very talented, extremely intelligent, and hard-working individual.

“He has been contributing to several scientific projects, publishing in high-profile journals,” Bahar said. “He was someone whom we all liked very much, a very gentle, very helpful, kind person, very generous.”

(Fox and adamfoxie below)

Liu was shot by appears to be a romantic partner unidentified sources mentioned.  The second man later identified as Chinese national Hao Gau, was found dead in his car after killing Liu in his home before he allegedly committed suicide in his car one mile from the murder scene.Gau was also a scientific student. The police sid Liu had the front and back dorrs to his condo open because of the good weather on that day.  

  Bing Liu, a coronavirus researcher, was killed in a murder-suicide, authorities say. (University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine) 

By 

Teo Armus and 

Lateshia Beachum 

Washington Post

Bing Liu, 37, was shot multiple times in his townhouse around noon Saturday in Ross Township, Pa., police told WTAE, an ABC affiliate in Pittsburgh.

As a research assistant professor, Liu focused on using computational models to study biological processes. He was working from home during the pandemic and studying the virus, his supervisor said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Officials told the newspaper Liu was shot by another man and suffered gunshot wounds to the head, neck, torso and extremities. The man, later identified as 46-year-old Hao Gu, then got into his car about 100 yards away and killed himself. 

Neighbors told the paper they didn’t hear any gunshots the day Liu was killed. 

No items were stolen from the home, according to the paper.

Ross Township Detective Brian Kohlhepp told WTAE that police don’t believe the relationship between the two men had anything to do with Liu’s research on the coronavirus.

It is unclear how the two men knew each other, and police are investigating whether there was any confrontation before the shooting. A possible motive for the murder also is unclear, the Post-Gazette reported.

In a statement, Liu’s department at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine called him a prolific researcher and generous mentor. Shortly before his death, he had begun researching the cellular mechanisms that underlie coronavirus infections and the cellular basis of ensuing complications. 

Ivet Bahar, his supervisor and the head of his department, told the Post-Gazette Liu had just started to receive interesting results.

Bahar had sent several emails to Liu over the weekend about his work and was surprised that the normally prompt researcher wasn’t responding, according to the Post-Gazette.

After a conversation with a colleague about the crime, she confirmed Liu was the victim, the paper reported. He had not expressed any fear for his life to her, she told the paper.

“We will make an effort to complete what he started in an effort to pay homage to his scientific excellence,” the statement said.

Liu and his wife had no children and mostly kept to themselves, neighbors told the Post-Gazette.

Liu received his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from the National University of Singapore, according to his professional website. He had previously worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the department of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University and with Bahar as a research associate in the department of computational and systems biology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. 

Throughout his career, he published more than 30 academic papers and wrote a book.