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Police, USC Announce $125,000 Reward For Info Leading To Murdered Grad Students

Rosa Trieu |
April 13, 2012 | 3:23 p.m. PDT

Executive Producer

Police on the scene in West Adams area (Alan Mittelstaedt)
Police on the scene in West Adams area (Alan Mittelstaedt)
Police and USC officials announced Friday afternoon a $125,000 reward for whoever gunned down two Chinese electrical engineering graduate students as they sat in a car one mile from campus. The press conference was held at the crime scene on Raymond Avenue.

In the meantime, LAPD investigators are reviewing surveillance video from the neighborhood where some residents say they'd heard the gunshots and saw a person running from the scene. There are currently no descriptions of the shooter, who fled on foot in the rain. However, LAPD Deputy Chief Pat Gannon said a black sedan drove away at the same time the assailant ran away, the Daily Trojan reports.

"If you hear a rumor about this case, please give us a call," Gannon said, according to the Trojan. He added that there were a total of three murders in the area over the past five years, and said, "Please help me find the killers." He said he could relate as a father of a grad student who does not live at home.

The incident has sparked conversation about safety of nearby neighborhoods near campus, especially for foreign students who may not be familiar with the crime rates where they choose to live.

City News Service reports China's consulate in Los Angeles is planning to meet with Chinese students in the near future to remind them of the need to take safety measures to protect themselves, according to Xinhuanet, the website of China's official Xinhua News Agency.

There are currently 2,513 Chinese students at USC, making up 35 percent of the university's international students.

 

 

 

Reach Executive Producer Rosa Trieu here. Follow her on Twitter.



 

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