Episode 25

Police responded to a shooting in New Haven. When they arrived, they found Kevin Jiang shot to death in the street. About 100 feet away sat his Prius. Jiang had been shot multiple times.

Officers initially considered the shooting a possible case of road rage. Surveillance video from a nearby home captured the sound of a car crash before Jiang's Prius entered the frame, followed closely by a dark SUV. Jiang's Prius came to a stop as the SUV reversed. Jiang exited his car and walked toward the SUV, stepping out of the frame. Seconds later, eight gunshots and a scream were heard.

A witness told police she looked out her window after hearing the gunshots and saw the shooter standing over Jiang, who was already on the ground. The gunman fired additional shots at close range. Detectives at the scene noted stippling on Jiang's face, indicating he had been shot at close range. New Haven homicide detective David Zaweski believed the evidence suggested something more than a random shooting or road rage.

That same night, police in North Haven responded to a separate incident at Sims Metal Management, a scrapyard near a highway entrance. A security guard reported a dark SUV had driven through the yard and become stuck on snowy railroad tracks. Officer Jeffrey Mills arrived and identified the driver as Qinxuan Pan. Pan's license came back clean. Mills didn't notice anything suspicious but recalled a yellow jacket, a black briefcase, and a blue bag with a Massachusetts logo inside the SUV. Officers arranged for Pan to stay at a nearby hotel for the night.

At 11 a.m., as Sgt. Mills was finishing his shift, an employee at Arby's reported finding a bag containing a gun and bullets. Mills responded and recognized the yellow jacket, black briefcase, and blue bag from Pan's car. Arby's was next door to the Best Western where Pan had been dropped off.

By then, Mills had learned about the New Haven homicide and the search for a dark-colored SUV. He checked the Best Western and confirmed Pan had checked in but never stayed. Mills alerted New Haven police. Tests later confirmed the .45-caliber handgun found at Arby's matched the shell casings from Jiang's murder scene.

The SUV Pan abandoned on the railroad tracks remained at a tow facility. Investigators discovered it had been reported stolen from a car dealership in Malden, Massachusetts, where Pan lived. A dealership employee told police Pan had taken the vehicle for a test drive but never returned it.

Now, New Haven police were investigating a homicide, Malden police were handling a stolen vehicle case, and North Haven police had recovered the stolen SUV and the suspected murder weapon. All agencies were searching for the one man connecting them—Qinxuan Pan.