Chinese USC grad student found dead in apartment; police investigating

Los Angeles police say a 24-year-old USC graduate student from China who was found dead Thursday at an apartment near campus may have been the victim of an assault.

Officers were called at about 7 a.m. to the apartment in the 1200 block of 30th Street, where they discovered the student’s body inside his residence. Officials said early Thursday that the man’s death may have resulted from a head injury.

The death of the engineering student, who was not identified, was announced in a letter posted by USC Senior Vice President Elizabeth Garrett on the university’s website. The letter emphasized that the school was waiting for more information from police “before drawing any conclusions.

“From all early indications, this was an isolated incident and there was and is no apparent threat to the campus community,” the letter stated.

Detectives from LAPD’s Criminal Gang Homicide Division were investigating the scene.

Officials are withholding the student’s name until his family can be notified.