On the evening of February 6, 2021, Jiang left the apartment of his fiancée in the
East Rock neighborhood of New Haven. At around 8:30 p.m., Jiang's
Toyota Prius was struck from behind by a black SUV, driven by Pan. The collision was not significant and after the SUV backed up, Jiang exited his vehicle to check on the other motorist. When he reached the driver's side, Jiang was shot twice by Pan, who then stepped out and fired six more shots at Jiang, who had collapsed to the ground. Jiang died of multiple gunshots to the face and torso. Emergency responders were unable to revive him. Police first investigated the shooting as a random crime, potentially due to
road rage, but later suspected a possible personal motive. Approximately 30 minutes after the murder, Pan drove into a
scrap yard with his car and after being pursued by the facility's security guard, he became stuck on nearby railroad tracks due to a
flat tire. Accidental trespassing by motorists was not uncommon since the open property was near the
highway and as local officers were unaware of the murder, they did not detain him and arranged for towing assistance. Pan was driven to a
Best Western hotel in
Hamden, Connecticut, by police, after which he dumped a handgun and ten boxes of ammo in plastic bags outside of an adjacent
Arby's restaurant. The items were reported the following day and quickly linked to Pan, but a search of the hotel found that Pan had left without using the room he paid for. Pan was named as a suspect on February 10 and a warrant was issued for his arrest on February 26. New Haven Police considered Pan to be "armed and dangerous." A reward of $5,000 for information that would contribute to Pan's arrest was issued by the U.S. Marshals Service, later increased to $10,000 on March 1.
Investigation Pan was further tied to Jiang's murder by DNA on the ammo boxes and gun case, blood on clothes found inside the SUV and the vehicle's interior, as well as a partial imprint of a license plate, later found to have been stolen from another car, where Pan's car had bumped Jiang's vehicle. Forensic analysis showed that the pistol found along with the ammunition, a
Ruger SR1911, was not the murder weapon, which remains lost. No relationship was established between Jiang and Pan. Jiang's fiancée told investigators that she had befriended Pan at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and suspected that Pan may have been "interested" in her, but that they never had a romantic relationship.
Manhunt A few days after the murder, Pan phoned his parents and asked them to meet him in
Connecticut, instructing them to bring money in cash. On February 11, Pan subsequently drove their car to
Atlanta, where he abruptly stopped near a highway and walked off. Both parents were questioned and denied knowing about Pan's involvement in a murder, but Pan's mother stated that she believed that her son had killed himself after leaving them. However, federal authorities monitored their bank accounts and took note of numerous withdrawals in the following months, totalling to over $10,000. On April 8, 2021,
Interpol issued a
Red Notice requesting Pan's arrest and detention in reference to murder and larceny charges. Pan's parents were monitored and recorded traveling to Connecticut and
Georgia during spring 2021, with surveillance video at an electronics store in
Marietta, Georgia, capturing footage of them along with an individual resembling Pan. On May 14, 2021, Pan was apprehended in
Montgomery, Alabama, where he was living at a boarding house under the false name "Henry Choi". He was in possession of $19,000 cash, his father's passport, and seven cell phones. His bail was set at $20 million, as he was seen as a flight risk for his ties to China. His defense unsuccessfully argued for a lower bond, stating that the passport in Pan's possession was marked as void, that he had no relatives in Shanghai, and that neither he or his parents had contact with anyone in China since the mid-2010s. Pan's parents were again investigated, but not charged. == Victim ==