Father seeks justice for slain student

The father of Jiang Yue, a Chinese student killed in a shooting in Tempe, Arizona, called for capital punishment for the suspect.

Jiang's father, aunt and cousin arrived on Tuesday and spoke with representatives of the Tempe Police Department, Arizona State University (ASU) and Chinese Students Association of ASU.

Holly Davis, 32, of Mesa, Arizona, has been charged with first-degree murder in the case.

"To my understanding, such an outrageous crime should be punished by death," Jiang's father told China Press, a Chinese-language newspaper. He said he slept for only one hour since he heard the news of his daughter's death, according to Zhiyi Li, a China Press reporter.

The 19-year-old from Chongqing was a sophomore finance major at the WP Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

"She was good daughter, granddaughter and sister. We can't accept it at all," Jiang's father said. She is also survived by a 10-year-old brother.

The family decided on Wednesday to have Jiang's body cremated in the US and her ashes brought back to China. A memorial is scheduled for Friday on campus, Li said.

On Wednesday, the Tempe Police Department, ASU Police Department and the Chinese Students' Association held a joint press conference on campus to answer questions from Chinese students and their parents.

Tempe police have ruled out road rage or racial bias as motives and said that it couldn't be determined yet whether the suspect was under the influence of drugs or depression.

"The woman (suspect) didn't think straight," Tempe police Lt. Noah Johnson told the students. He also advised them against buying guns in response but encouraged them to take advantage of a police escort service. Guns are banned on campus, he said.

During the conference, William Zhu, president of the Chinese Students' Association, called on students and parents to push for justice for Jiang Yue.

On Jan 16, Davis' Volkswagen Passat rear-ended Jiang's vehicle at a red light in an intersection, and Davis allegedly got out of her car and fired several shots into the driver's window, hitting Jiang several times, Tempe police said.

Jiang's 21-year-old male passenger got out of the Mercedes to assess the damage when he saw Davis with the gun, police said.

Police says Jiang lost control of her vehicle after she was shot as she drove away, crashing into another car carrying a family of five. The family did not suffer serious injuries.

Linxin Gu in Tempe contributed to the story.

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 01/21/2016 page2)