Johnstone said police don’t expect the driver of the vehicle to be charged in the accident, but the case is being handled by the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office. He said the driver of the vehicle did not appear intoxicated, and it appeared Li walked out in front of the vehicle.

“I don’t believe (charges will be filed), but certainly we will make sure that we do a thorough investigation,” Johnstone said. “An accident of this nature always gets forwarded to the prosecutor’s office.”

Johnstone said Li and two other pedestrians intended to walk from a Spartan Village apartment to his residence in Cherry Lane Apartments. The group incorrectly walked south on Harrison Avenue after leaving Spartan Village, then realized they needed to turn around after crossing Mount Hope Road.

The two other pedestrians crossed Mount Hope Road safely before Li, Johnstone said.

Li was visiting East Lansing as a participant in MSU’s Visiting International Professionals Program, or VIPP, and had arrived from China earlier Sunday.

“All of us at VIPP are deeply saddened by the loss of Tao,” said Michael Miller, director of VIPP, in a statement. “This is a horrible tragedy and our condolences go out to his family and friends.”

The program allows foreign professionals to internationalize their work by meeting with faculty members at MSU who work in the same field. The accident occurred before Li met with program coordinators to determine which field he would enter.

An official within the program said Li had expressed an interest in international politics during his application process.

The Mount Hope Road and Harrison Avenue intersection has a traffic light, but does not have crosswalks for pedestrians. The intersection is lit by two small streetlights.

Johnstone said it was possible a lack of lighting in the area
contributed to the accident.

“I’m sure it was (a factor),” he said. “In the evening time, it gets dark (there).”

The fatal vehicle-pedestrian accident Sunday was the second in the last three years on Mount Hope Road.

Dannielle Brandt was killed on Feb. 3, 2006 as she crossed Mount Hope Road along Farm Lane. Brandt had been heading north from the MSU Pavilion for Agriculture and Livestock Education to her dorm room.

At the time of the accident, there were no crosswalks at the intersection. Sidewalks and crosswalks have since been built along Farm Lane, from the southwest edge of Mount Hope Road. This area of Mount Hope Road is under jurisdiction of the Ingham County Road Commission, while the area where Li was killed is under East Lansing’s jurisdiction.