LOS ANGELES, May 18 (UPI) -- Two Chinese couples are suing the University of Southern California for the wrongful death of their children, slain in what appears to have been a carjacking.
The parents of Ying Wu and Ming Qu, in a complaint filed in Los Angeles, said the university provided misleading information about safety on campus and in its neighborhood, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday. Their lawyer, Alan Burton Newman, said USC falsely said all areas are patrolled 24 hours a day.
In their complaint, the parents said USC's Web site, with its promises of security, is a major recruiting tool for graduate students from China.
Wu, the daughter of Xuyong Wu and Meinan Yin, and Qu, son of Wanzhi Qu and Xiahong Fei, were shot and killed April 11 as they sat in Qu's car. Both were 23 and graduate students in electrical engineering.
No arrests have been made.
Debra Wong Yang, a USC lawyer, called the killings a "random violent act."
"While we have deep sympathy for the victims' families, this lawsuit is baseless and we will move to have it dismissed," she said. "As part of our support for the families we met with them and offered financial assistance as a gesture of kindness and sympathy."
