With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
USC Doesn't Have Enough Off-Campus Security, Says Suit Filed By Slain Students' Parents
Photo by cawls via the LAist Featured Photos pool
The parents of two graduate students from China who were shot to death off-campus last month have filed a wrongful death suit against USC claiming that the school doesn't provide enough security for its students off-campus.Ming Qu and Ying Wu were 23-year-old electrical engineering students from China who were shot during around 1 am during a downpour on April 11. Wu was found slumped over the wheel behind the wheel of her car, and Qu was found a short distance from the car, leading investigators to believe that they might have been the victim of a bungled car-jacking.
The lawsuit filed by Wanzhi Qu and Xiaohong Fei (parents of Qu) and Xiyong Wu and Meinan Yin (parents of Wu) says that the school lures international students to the school for a substantial sum of money with false claims, according to City News Service.
The school's website assures prospective students that the university "is ranked among the safest of U.S. universities and colleges, with one of the most comprehensive, proactive campus and community safety programs in the nation." However, the lawsuit claims that the campus is in a high-crime area and that USC does not provide patrols in the area where the students were killed.
Shortly after the killings, USC sent out a letter saying that it did not provide patrols in the area where the students were killed. But USC's attorney Debra Wong Yang today issued a statement about the suit, saying that the incident was random and not typical for that area:
Sponsored message
"USC is deeply saddened by this tragic event, which was a random violent act not representative of the safety of USC or the neighborhoods around campus. While we have deep sympathy for the victims' families, this lawsuit is baseless and we will move to have it dismissed. As part of our support for the families we met with them and offered financial assistance as a gesture of kindness and sympathy. The attorney for the families subsequently instructed them to decline USC's gesture and filed suit."
Update 11:40 am: Alan Burton Newman, the attorney for the students' families, e-mailed LAist to explain that his client's rejected USC's offer of financial assistance because of the strings that came attached: it would release the school from all liability.
At LAist, we focus on what matters to our community: clear, fair, and transparent reporting that helps you make decisions with confidence and keeps powerful institutions accountable.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
