As 26-year-old graduate student at Yale University, Kevin Jiang, was shot dead over the weekend, his fiancée spoke Tuesday, describing his deep Christian faith and dedicated volunteer work at a church in New Haven, saying she has ‘no idea’. why someone might have targeted him.
“All I want to say is that I just want Jesus to be glorified and that Kevin really was a follower of Jesus and for me, that’s what his life represents,” Zion Perry said in a telephone interview with Fox News said. A life lived after God, and I hope many people can know that he truly followed the Lord and that his life will inspire many to follow Jesus and draw closer to the Father.
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“Because I know Kevin is now with his true Father in heaven,” she continued. “That’s all I really want people to know is that Jesus would be glorified through his death – even though I know it sounds impossible – I know Jesus and God can do anything.”
Jiang introduced Perry on January 30 – one year after they first met. He was killed a week later. His 27th birthday would have been this week.
According to New Haven Police, officers responded to Lawrence Street, between Nicoll and Nash Streets, on Saturday at 8:30 p.m., after receiving several 911 calls about gunshots. EMS tried life-saving measures, but Jiang was pronounced dead at the scene.
So far, no suspects have been publicly announced or arrested, and authorities have released limited details on a motive.
At a news conference, New Haven Police Chief Otoniel Reyes said Jiang was possibly targeted and that his murder was not random.
Kevin Jiang was a graduate student at the Yale School of the Environment, as a member of the 2022 class
(Yale University Police Department)
“We have developed information indicating that this incident may not have been a random act and that he was in fact targeted,” Reyes said. “That being said, it’s too early in the investigation to establish a motive at all.”
Jiang was driving a vehicle before the shooting, Reyes confirmed, adding that investigators were “investigating every possibility, including whether an accident caused the incident” and whether the shooting incident was an example of road rage. Reyes acknowledged the speculation surrounding the incident and said investigators were investigating “very specific clues” but were not ruling out at the moment.
Perry told Fox News she knows nothing about why anyone would target her fiancé.
“I’m also trying to make sense of it. I really have no idea, and unfortunately I have no information to share about it,” she said.
A police spokesman told Fox News on Tuesday that the most recent information had been released at the news conference and that all future updates would be announced on the department’s Facebook page.
“Providing further details could jeopardize the investigation,” the spokesman said.
Jiang was a graduate student at the Yale School of the Environment as a member of the 2022 class. He and his mother, who moved from Seattle in 2019 to live with her son while attending graduate school, were both active volunteers at Trinity Baptist. Church in Statestraat.
Jiang served in the U.S. military’s national guard, distributing food and cooking for a homeless shelter, mentoring youths and helping manufacturers “comply with local and federal environmental laws,” Yale University president Peter Salovey said Monday. told Reyes and others at the news conference. He said Jiang had done research on mercury levels in fish in the Quinnipiac River.
“He used his training to make a positive difference in the world,” Salovey said.
Perry explained that she and Jiang met during a retreat in the church: “We both went and God allowed us to meet there and formed a deep friendship from there.” She said Jiang grew up in Chicago and Seattle, where he attended the University of Washington for his undergraduate education before moving to New Haven to attend graduate school at Yale University.
In a January 30 Facebook post announcing their engagement, Jiang wrote, “She has” YES! ‘Dear Zion – you have really made a huge impact in my life! Ever since I met you, God has worked in my heart and changed my heart for the better, helping me to become more generous and kind to others. ‘
“You are the kindest, most beautiful, forgiving, most patient, trustworthy woman I have ever met,” he continued, sharing photos and videos of him kneeling in front of a snowfall. “I love you more than words can say. I want to take care of you and serve you and build God’s kingdom with you. Thank you for such a wonderful happy one year anniversary of the meeting, and now fiancé !!!! !! !! “
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Perry said details of his funeral service and any memorial fund are yet to be finalized.
Trinity Baptist Pastor Greg Hendrickson told the New Haven Independent that he had just agreed earlier this week to hold Jiang’s wedding, but “now we would rather hold his funeral.”