He was found with multiple gunshot wounds to the head, neck, torso and extremities at his home in the Pittsburgh suburbs, according to the local police department.
The gunman was identified as 46-year-old software engineer Hao Gu. Authorities say he took his own life after returning to his car.
Liu and Gu knew each other, homicide detectives said.
The investigation has determined it was a murder-suicide resulting from "a lengthy dispute regarding an intimate partner".
They said there was "zero evidence" the case was linked to Liu's research work and the current public health crisis.
"Oh my god," a user on the Chinese social media platform Weibo wrote. "This seems like coming straight out of Mission Impossible. Perhaps he found out that the virus originated from an American lab."
And of course:
Chinese officials and state media had previously promoted a baseless claim that the virus originated in the US and was brought to Wuhan by American soldiers.
US police say Bing Liu was shot dead by his lover, but conspiracy theorists have other ideas.
www.bbc.com
As for conspiracy, remember.
"Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."
Napoleon Bonaparte
www.vox.com
