The murder of a Chinese student in the United States is a wake-up call. Safety needs to be paid attention to during the study abroad boom

The murder of a Chinese student in the U.S. is a wake-up call. Safety needs to be paid attention to during the study abroad boom. Editor's note: At 1 o'clock in the morning on April 11, two Chinese students studying at the University of Southern California...

The murder of Chinese students in the United States is a wake-up call. Safety needs to be paid attention to during the study abroad boom. Editor's note: At 1 a.m. on April 11, two Chinese students studying at the University of Southern California were shot dead in a car near their residence. The police suspect this was an armed robbery. The suspect is currently at large and the case is still under investigation. This incident once again sounded the alarm for the personal safety of Chinese students studying in the United States. According to local police, the shooting occurred on a street near the University of Southern California campus in the West Adams area. The University of Southern California confirmed that the murdered Chinese students were a man and a woman. Their names were Qu Ming and Wu Ying. They were both born in 1988 and were both graduate students in electronic engineering at the School of Engineering at the University of Southern California. The police initially found that at the time of the incident, Qu Ming drove a BMW sedan to escort Wu Ying back to her rented apartment. When the car was temporarily parked on the side of the road to talk, a gunman suddenly opened fire from outside the car and the bullets penetrated the glass and hit two people. After being shot, Qu Ming struggled to run out of the car and knocked on the door of Wu Ying's rented apartment for help, but he collapsed outside the door due to physical exhaustion. After hearing the news, the police rushed to the scene and sent the two people to a nearby hospital for treatment. They eventually died from their injuries and failed to save them. Police believe this was an armed robbery and the suspect is a man whose circumstances are unknown. Many witnesses reported that they heard at least three gunshots during the incident and saw someone hurriedly fleeing the scene. However, because it was dark and raining at the time, they could not clearly see the physical characteristics of the suspect. The police are still conducting an in-depth investigation into the case and are stepping up their search for suspects in nearby areas. The USC Public Safety Department set up a temporary security watchtower on the street where the incident occurred at noon that day, and sent personnel to guard it 24 hours a day. After the incident, the University of Southern California has contacted the families of the murdered students and promptly informed all teachers and students of the school about the situation, reminding them to be more vigilant and pay attention to personal safety. The Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles immediately activated the consular protection emergency mechanism. On the one hand, it sent personnel to the school to understand the situation and urged the school to cooperate with the family in handling the aftermath. On the other hand, it reminded Chinese students in the consular district to effectively improve their safety awareness and try to avoid going out at night. The USC campus is located in the heart of Los Angeles, which has a high crime rate. According to the Associated Press, citing local police data, four people have been killed in the area so far this year, and the last death of a USC student occurred in 2008. The murder of two Chinese international students shocked the entire USC campus. Many students immediately called their parents, relatives and friends to report that they were safe. Some students were considering moving out of the community where the crime occurred because they were worried about their personal safety. Many teachers and students of the school and nearby residents spontaneously came to the scene of the crime to lay flowers and express their condolences. The school held a formal memorial service on campus that night. The University of Southern California has the largest number of international students in the United States. According to statistics, the number of foreign students in 2011 was 7,226, accounting for 19% of the school’s 38,000 students. Among international students, Chinese students account for 35%, making them the largest group of foreign students. This situation is a microcosm of universities across the United States. In recent years, the number of Chinese students studying in the United States has grown rapidly and now accounts for a quarter of the total international students in the United States. China's rapid economic growth has enabled more and more families to afford the cost of their children studying abroad. But at the same time, due to the proliferation of guns in American society and the chaos of public security in some areas, the number of unfortunate incidents such as violent crimes and various accidents encountered by Chinese students is also on the rise. As the craze for Chinese students studying in the United States continues to heat up, the issue of personal safety should attract the attention of students, parents and relevant departments.