According to court documents, a chemical whiz from Florida is accused of injecting opioids below his neighbor’s front door because the neighbors were too loud.
According to the breach of contract claim filed by the building’s owners association, 36-year-old Xuming Li used a lab at his college campus to load syringes to inject them into the premises to cause harm.
The University of South Florida confirmed Li was a Ph.D. chemistry student there.
On June 27th, the chemist was taken into custody when his neighbor Umar Abdullah recorded Li squirting clear liquid through a break in the door frame on video. Opioid pain relievers methadone and hydrocodone were found in the “liquid chemical agent” subjected to a hazmat analysis.
The University of South Florida said the safety and well-being of the USF community is their utmost concern, and there are several checks and balances in place within the USF Department of Chemistry to guarantee the responsible use of all university-owned chemicals and other resources. They said hydrocodone and methadone are Schedule II restricted narcotics not kept in USF’s chemistry laboratories.
Abdullah told a local news station, WFLA, that in June of 2022, he and his pregnant wife and little daughter moved into the complex right above Li.
Quickly, Li started texting his new neighbors about his frustration at being unable to sleep because of the constant clanking of a toilet seat.
The whole family reported feeling sick and dizzy the next day for no apparent reason.
They and a friend detected an odor. The smell remained even after he had the appliance fixed and the vents and ducts cleaned.
He finally gave in and summoned the fire brigade for help, but after conducting tests, they concluded that nothing was wrong.
When he saw a gap in his door, he immediately suspected his irate next-door neighbor.
When he became unwell again, he placed a covert camera outside his door and was astonished to see Li stooping and emptying a syringe beneath it.
Li was arrested and charged with many felonies, including unlawful possession of a controlled narcotic when he abruptly left the apartment and contacted the police. Li was granted bail and is scheduled to return to court on December 5.
Li and his roommate are still fighting the owners’ association’s attempt to oust them.
