Man who killed UCLA professor in murder-suicide shooting identified as doctoral student

Los Angeles police on Thursday identified the shooter who killed a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) before turning the gun on himself as Mainak Sarkar, a student at the school of engineering.

Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Jane Kim confirmed that the gunman had been identified as Sarkar but did not provide other details, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Sarkar was a Ph.D student and a current member of the Klug Research Group; Computational Biomechanics, at UCLA, according to a Klug Research Group publication.

The victim was identified as 39-year-old William Scott Klug, a father of two and associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, students and his colleagues told Xinhua on site Wednesday.

The shooting happened shortly before 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday in Boelter Hall, which is part of the Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, according to the university.

The entire UCLA campus was placed on lockdown, along with three Los Angeles Unified School District elementary and middle schools nearby.

The initial reports of a shooting prompted the university to send a "Bruin Alert," which is a personalized emergency notification system for UCLA to communicate official information during an emergency or crisis, to all students and staff notifying them to avoid the school of engineering area or shelter in place.

Many sheltered students reported via social media hunkering down in restrooms or classrooms, using anything they could to prevent entry from the outside.

The UCLA authority canceled all the classes and activities for the day.

Scott Waugh, UCLA vice chancellor and provost, said on Wednesday campus operations would return to normal Thursday -- except for engineering classes, which will be canceled for the rest of the week.

This weekend's and next week's final exams would not be disrupted, he said.

UCLA officials said the university was offering counseling services to students and staff affected by the shooting.

The university has designated "healing spaces" on the campus where students can gather, and counselors will be available for students at the Counseling and Psychological Services office.

The two men were found dead inside a small office in the building, and a gun was found nearby, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief Charlie Beck said late Wednesday morning.

Beck noted at least three shots were fired. He confirmed evidence was found at the scene, and a possible suicide note has been found as well.

Later Wednesday, the LAPD chief confirmed the shooting was a murder-suicide and the campus was safe.

Police continued to thoroughly sweep through the building and several adjacent buildings. As police began clearing classrooms, students were seen walking from buildings, often with their hands raised and bags checked as they left.

Along with the LAPD and UCLA campus police, the FBI and Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives both dispatched agents to the campus.

Also responding to the scene were police from Santa Monica College, where a shooting spree occurred June 7, 2013 when officers killed the gunman in the campus library. Five other people died in the shooting. Endit