A researcher from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, who was said to be on the verge of making some significant coronavirus findings, was shot to death on Saturday in Pennsylvania, according to officials.
Bing Liu, 37, was found dead Saturday inside a home in Ross Township, north of Pittsburgh, according to the Allegheny County medical examiner. The officials said he had been shot in the head and the neck.
They also said that an hour after Liu’s body was discovered, another person named Hao Gu, 46, was found dead inside a car less than a mile away.
Ross Township police Detective Sergeant Brian Kohlhepp told NBC News that the men knew each other.
Police believe that Gu killed Liu before returning to his car and he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Ross Police Department said Wednesday that the officials believe the deaths occurred on Saturday after a “lengthy dispute regarding an intimate partner.”
Police said, “We have found zero evidence that this tragic event has anything to do with employment at the University of Pittsburgh, any work being conducted at the University of Pittsburgh and the current health crisis affecting the United States and the world.”
The officials have handed over the case to federal authorities because both men were not American citizens.
The University of Pittsburgh released a statement and described Liu as an excellent mentor and prolific researcher who had co-authored more than 30 papers.
“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 school said. “We will make an effort to complete what he started in an effort to pay homage to his scientific excellence.”
