The University of Iowa shooting was a
mass shooting
There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 20 ...
that occurred in
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the tim ...
, on November 1, 1991. Gang Lu, a 28-year-old former
graduate student
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree.
The organization and s ...
at the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
, killed three members of the Physics and Astronomy Department faculty, an Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, and a fellow student, then seriously injured another student working at the university's campus, before committing suicide.
Perpetrator and motives
Gang Lu (; – November 1, 1991),
was a 28-year-old Chinese
graduate student
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree.
The organization and s ...
at the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
who had received his
doctoral degree
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
in
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
and
astronomy
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...
from the university in May 1991. In 1984, 18-year-old Lu began studying physics at
Peking University in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, where he passed the
CUSPEA exam and was admitted to study in the United States, becoming a graduate student at the University of Iowa. As a graduate student, Lu was primarily a loner who was perceived by at least one other graduate student to have a psychological problem if challenged and was reported to have had abusive
tantrum
A tantrum, temper tantrum, lash out, meltdown, fit or hissy fit is an emotional outburst, usually associated with those in emotional distress, that is typically characterized by stubbornness, crying, screaming, violence, defiance, angry ranting ...
s.
Lu was infuriated because his dissertation, titled ''Study of the "Critical Ionization Velocity" Effect by Particle-in-Cell Simulation'', did not receive the prestigious
D. C. Spriestersbach Dissertation Prize, which included a monetary award of $2,500. The
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...
led many Chinese students to become eager to stay in the United States, and Lu believed that winning the prize would have made it easier for him to get a job and not have to return to China. Normally, Lu would have gotten a
postdoctoral researcher
A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to pu ...
position, but there was not enough money to support him.
In the months prior to the shooting, Lu was still living in
Iowa City and wrote five letters explaining the reasons for his planned actions. According to university officials, four of the five letters were written in English and one was written in Chinese, intended to be mailed to news organizations. The letters have never been released to the public.
However, Edwin Chen's book ''Deadly Scholarship'' includes a statement by Lu, written in imprecise English, intended to be read after his attack and suicide, which Laura Hamlett characterized as a manifesto; and, in translation, a letter by Lu to his sister.
The shooting
On Friday, November 1, 1991, Gang Lu attended a meeting for the theoretical
space plasma
The interplanetary medium (IPM) or interplanetary space consists of the mass and energy which fills the Solar System, and through which all the larger Solar System bodies, such as planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, and comets, move. The IPM sto ...
physics research group in a conference room on the third floor of
Van Allen Hall
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 coll ...
at the university's campus. A few minutes after the meeting began, Lu shot three attendees of the meeting with a
.38 Special
The .38 Special, also commonly known as .38 S&W Special (not to be confused with .38 S&W), .38 Smith & Wesson Special, .38 Spl, .38 Spc, (pronounced "thirty-eight special"), or 9x29mmR is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & ...
revolver, then proceeded to the second floor to shoot the chairman of the department in his office.
Those who were shot in Van Allen Hall were:
* Christoph K. Goertz, professor of physics and astronomy, Lu's dissertation chairperson and one of America's leading theoretical space plasma physicists
* Robert A. Smith, associate professor of physics and astronomy, also on Lu's dissertation committee
* Linhua Shan (), a post-doctoral research investigator and the winner of the Spriestersbach prize; Shan had once been Lu's roommate
* Dwight R. Nicholson, chairman of the physics and astronomy department, and one of Lu's dissertation committee members
After the shootings at Van Allen Hall, Lu walked three blocks to Jessup Hall to the office of T. Anne Cleary, an associate vice president for Academic Affairs and grievance officer at the university, and shot her in the head. Lu had filed several grievances about not being nominated for the Spriestersbach prize. Cleary died the following day at the
University of Iowa Hospital. Lu then shot Miya Rodolfo-Sioson, a 23-year-old student temporary employee in the Office of Academic Affairs, for unknown reasons. Rodolfo-Sioson survived but was left paralyzed from the neck down, and died from inflammatory
breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a r ...
on December 3, 2008. Lu had intended to kill university president
Hunter Rawlings III, but he was attending the Iowa/Ohio State football game in
Columbus, Ohio, at the time. Gang Lu was found in room 203 of Jessup Hall with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Lu died shortly after police arrived.
Media adaptations
Writer
Jo Ann Beard wrote an acclaimed personal essay based in part on the killings. Her essay, entitled "The Fourth State of Matter", was originally published in ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
''. It appeared in the 1997 edition of ''
Best American Essays ''The Best American Essays'' is a yearly anthology of magazine articles published in the United States.Robert Atwan (ed.), Adam Gopnick (guest ed.). ''The Best American Essays 2008'', Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008. It was started in 1986 and is ...
''. The essay was later included in her collection of personal essays, ''The Boys of My Youth''. Beard worked as an editor for a physics journal at the university and was a colleague of the victims. She had been close friends with Goertz.
Loosely based on Gang Lu's story, Chinese director
Chen Shi-zheng made a feature film, ''
Dark Matter
Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe. Dark matter is called "dark" because it does not appear to interact with the electromagnetic field, which means it does not a ...
'', starring
Liu Ye and
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...
. However, the story in ''Dark Matter'' has substantial differences in plot and character motivation. The film won the
Alfred P. Sloan Prize at the
Sundance Film Festival in 2007.
The educational series ''Discovering Psychology'', "Cultural Psychology" (episode 26, updated edition) discusses Gang Lu (at the 3:50 minute mark)
A documentary about the life of the lone survivor, Miya Rodolfo-Sioson, entitled ''Miya of the Quiet Strength'', was released in 2009.
References
Further reading
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