Researcher On The Verge Of Making Significant Coronavirus Findings Shot Dead, Officials Say Death An Apparent Murder-Suicide

Bing Liu, a 37-year-old researcher at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said to be on the “verge of making very significant coronavirus findings” has been killed.

According to the university, Professor Liu was shot and killed in an apparent murder-suicide over the weekend.

He was found in his townhouse on Saturday with gunshot wounds to the head, neck, torso and extremities, according to police officials.

An unidentified man was also found dead in a car at Liu’s house, who investigators believe killed Liu before taking his own life in the car.

Police believe the men knew each other but they are further investigating their relationship and motive for the killing.

The university issued a statement saying;

We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Bing Liu, a prolific researcher and admired colleague at Pitt. The University extends our deepest sympathies to Liu’s family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time.

Liu’s colleagues at the university’s Department of Computational and Systems Biology in a statement stated;

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.

Members of the university’s School of Medicine describe their former colleague as an outstanding researcher and mentor, and have pledged to complete Liu’s research “in an effort to pay homage to his scientific excellence.”

Liu earned a Ph.D. in computational science from the National University of Singapore.

He worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University before becoming a research associate at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.