There was a shooting in New Haven that police responded to, and upon arrival, they discovered Kevin Jiang had been shot to death in the street. His Prius was found about 100 feet away, and Jiang had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Initially, officers considered the incident as a potential case of road rage. A surveillance video recorded from a nearby residence captured the sound of a car crash, followed by Jiang’s Prius appearing on screen, closely pursued by a dark SUV. The Prius stopped as the SUV reversed, and Jiang got out of his vehicle and approached the SUV until he went out of the camera’s view. Shortly after, there were eight gunshots heard, along with a scream.
A witness reported to the police that upon hearing the gunfire, she looked outside her window and saw the shooter standing over Jiang, who was already on the ground. The assailant proceeded to shoot Jiang at close range. Detectives studying the scene noticed stippling on Jiang’s face, indicating that he had been shot at close proximity. Based on the evidence, New Haven homicide detective David Zaweski suspected that the shooting was not a random act or a result of road rage.
That same night, police in North Haven responded to a separate incident at Sims Metal Management, a scrapyard near a highway entrance. A security guard reported a dark SUV had driven through the yard and become stuck on snowy railroad tracks.
Officer Jeffrey Mills arrived and identified the driver as Qinxuan Pan. Pan’s license came back clean. Mills didn’t notice anything suspicious but recalled a yellow jacket, a black briefcase, and a blue bag with a Massachusetts logo inside the SUV. Officers arranged for Pan to stay at a nearby hotel for the night.
At 11 a.m., as Sgt. Mills was finishing his shift, an employee at Arby’s reported finding a bag containing a gun and bullets. Mills responded and recognized the yellow jacket, black briefcase, and blue bag from Pan’s car. Arby’s was next door to the Best Western where Pan had been dropped off.
By then, Mills had learned about the New Haven homicide and the search for a dark-colored SUV. He checked the Best Western and confirmed Pan had checked in but never stayed. Mills alerted New Haven police. Tests later confirmed the .45-caliber handgun found at Arby’s matched the shell casings from Jiang’s murder scene.
The SUV Pan abandoned on the railroad tracks remained at a tow facility. Investigators discovered it had been reported stolen from a car dealership in Malden, Massachusetts, where Pan lived. A dealership employee told police Pan had taken the vehicle for a test drive but never returned it.
Now, New Haven police were investigating a homicide, Malden police were handling a stolen vehicle case, and North Haven police had recovered the stolen SUV and the suspected murder weapon. All agencies were searching for the one man connecting them—Qinxuan Pan.
Joining Nancy Grace today:
Additional Guests
Peter Elikann – Veteran Boston-based Criminal Defense Attorney, Author of “Superpredators: The Demonization of Our Children by the Law” and “The Tough-on-Crime Myth; website: elikanncriminaldefenseattorney.com/; twitter: @PeterElikannLaw
Dr. Chloe Carmichael – Clinical Psychologist, Women’s Health Magazine Advisory Board;’ Author: ‘Nervous Energy: Harness The Power of Your Anxiety;’ X: @DrChloe
“Crime Stories with Nancy Grace” is also a national radio show on SiriusXM channel 111, airing for two hours daily starting at 12 p.m. EST. You can also subscribe and download the daily podcasts at iHeart Podcasts.
[Feature Photo:Kevin Jiang and Zion PerryFacebook]
