Two men were killed at the University of California Los Angeles on Wednesday in a murder-suicide that provoked a massive police response and locked down thousands on campus, authorities said.
While the motive remained unclear Wednesday night, the victim of the murder-suicide was identified by the Associated Press, citing an unnamed police official, as William S. Klug, a professor of mechanical engineering.
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said three shots were heard and a weapon was found at the scene of the shooting inside an office in the engineering building. He could not confirm reports a suicide note was found. He declared the university safe about two hours after initial reports of a possible shooter on campus.
Los Angeles Police issued a tactical alert, which puts all officers on alert citywide. Scores of police armed with assault rifles and shotguns converged on campus, some rushing to scene from more than 10 miles away.
"We have literally hundreds of police officers and agents on campus," UCLA Police Chief James Herren said. "We are dedicated to ensuring the safety of the community. It is something we have trained to do."
Los Angeles police said the department and campus police received multiple reports of gunshots on campus around 10 a.m. UCLA notified students to shelter in place via a message sent to smartphones.
The shootings came at one of the most stressful times of the year on campus — the week before finals, said Chris Lama, 23, a bioengineering student.
The incident caught many students by surprise. "I'm very scared," said Jordan Zhu, 23, a statistics student who had planned to go to class in the engineering building at about the same time the shooting occurred.
Adeel Bajwa, a graduate student in electric engineering, said he was "just scared"
"I'm worried that all my colleagues are OK," he added.
The university canceled classes for the day. The school will operate as normal Thursday.
Before the all clear, teams of officers searched buildings as students emerged with their hands in the air and police patted them down and searched backpacks. Ambulances and fire crews stood by as a precaution.
