ASU Professor Accused of Murder Claims He Accidentally Shot Wife While 'Aiming for the Wall': Court Documents
David Zhu, a professor at Arizona State University, was arrested on a murder charge after he allegedly fatally shot his wife, police said.
Aug. 21 2024, Published 11:56 a.m. ET
A professor at Arizona State University has been accused of killing his wife by shooting her in the back, but police say he claims he was trying to shoot the wall, RadarOnline.com has revealed.
Around 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 17, officers were dispatched to a shooting in Scottsdale, according to court documents obtained by the Arizona Republic.
Nicole Hammond was fatally shot in the parking lot of her work in October 2022.
Officials say 47-year-old David Zhu reported that he shot his wife, 46-year-old Susan Yijuan Yan, while their children were home.
On the scene, officers found broken glass on the floor and what appeared to be a single gunshot through a wall, authorities said.
Hammond told the shooter to not touch her anymore and rebuffed his advances at work.
Court documents show Yan was lying unresponsive, face up on the floor in a hallway outside the master bedroom.
Police said she had been shot in the shoulder and upper back and died at the hospital.
Doctors urged the man to have the surgery to avoid serious health complications.
Officers located two spent shotgun shells on the floor in the hallway and an unspent shotgun shell on the floor of the master bedroom along with a shotgun. They also allegedly found a rifle in the master bedroom closet, according to police officials.
Authorities detained Zhu, who reportedly said, “I was trying to shoot the wall behind her,” according to court documents.
The victim's husband has been arrested and charged in connection with her murder, police said.
Detectives spoke with the couple’s children, who claimed their parents had frequent domestic violence incidents over the years. On the night in question, they said they heard a “screaming fight” and two gunshots, court documents state.
The affidavit claims that “neither child expressed any surprise that David had shot and killed their mother.”
Representatives from ASU offered condolences to those affected by the tragedy and said Zhu had been placed on administrative leave. He is also barred from the campus and from participating in any college activities.
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The suspect's ASU bio says he works in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, and his work has been published in top scholarly journals and has received several international awards.
Zhu faces charges of first-degree murder in connection with the death of his wife.
He was booked into the Maricopa County jail and was being held on a $1 million bond. His next court date is scheduled for Aug. 23.
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