In a tragic incident on August 17, 2024, Susan Yijuan Yan, a 46-year-old woman, was fatally shot in her Scottsdale, Arizona, home. Police responded to a shooting at approximately 6:30 p.m. and discovered Yan with a gunshot wound in the hallway outside the master bedroom. She was transported to a local hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. The victim's husband, David Zhu, a 47-year-old professor at Arizona State University, was identified as the suspect and subsequently arrested.
The couple's two children, a 19-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son, were present in the home at the time of the shooting. They reported to investigators that their parents had a history of domestic violence and were engaged in a 'screaming fight' just before they heard two gunshots. According to court documents, neither of the children expressed surprise that their father had shot and killed their mother. Authorities found a shotgun and spent shotgun shells at the scene.
Following the incident, Zhu allegedly claimed he was attempting to shoot the wall behind his wife. He has since been charged with first-degree murder and is being held on a $1 million cash bond. Arizona State University placed Zhu on administrative leave and barred him from campus and all university activities pending the outcome of the personnel process. The university extended its condolences to everyone affected by the tragedy.
