Police say that two teenaged boys led them to the 13- (or 14-) year-old charged with manslaughter in the death of Columbia graduate student Minghui Yu. On Friday night, the teen had punched Yu in the face at a median on Broadway between 122nd and 123rd Streets. After a struggle, Yu managed to escape and ran into the street, only to be fatally hit by a car.
The police have not charged the two other boys, who were apparently hanging out with the suspect (they all attend William O'Shea Junior High School on West 77th Street) but did not participate in the attack. A police source told the Daily News, "We saw that it was only the actions of one of the kids that sent the victim into his flight." Additionally, surveillance footage appears to support that.
The boy, charged with second-degree manslaughter, was "showing off" to his friends, telling them, "Watch what I do to this guy," before preying upon Yu. The boy was transported to a juvenile detention facility yesterday; his aunt told reporters, "It's a mistake. That's it."
The Chinese consulate is working to help Yu's parents obtain expedited, special visas to claim their son's body. The executive vice president of Columbia's Chinese Students and Scholars Association Junhua Shen told Newsday that Yu's parents have never been abroad, "You know in China, every family only has one child. So, they lost him, they lost everything."
Yu was head of public relations for the CUCSSA. There are more remembrances from Yu's friends and faculty at the Columbia Spectator.
And Columbia says the area where Yu was walking is north of campus, and therefore the NYPD's responsibility, though, per the NY Times, "campus security personnel are routinely stationed in areas beyond its borders." What's strange is that Columbia's campus map shows its campus reaches to West 122nd Street, where the Teachers College is. At any rate, Columbia campus security is increasing its patrols.
