UCLA Murder-Suicide Killer Had ‘Kill List’ — Minnesota Woman Found Slain
The man accused of fatally shooting a University of California, Los Angeles, professor in a murder-suicide had written a “kill list” that included a woman who has been found dead in Minnesota, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said on Thursday.
Investigators found the list while searching the suspect’s home in Minnesota, Beck told Los Angeles television station KTLA, adding that the investigation extended to Minnesota after finding a note at the crime scene. The list also contained the name of another, unidentified UCLA professor, who was unharmed, and the woman, he said.
“In the residence in Minnesota, we found multiple items, including extra ammunition and also a note with names on it indicating a kill list,” Beck told KTLA.
Police investigated the woman’s home in a nearby town in Minnesota and found she had been shot to death, Beck said.
“Professor Klug’s name was on that list, as was another UCLA professor who was alright,” Beck told the station.
Mainak Sarkar, 38, shot dead engineering professor William Klug, then killed himself, authorities said, in an attack that prompted a two-hour lockdown of UCLA’s sprawling urban campus.
The attack appeared to be provoked by Sarkar’s belief that Klug had stolen computer code from him, according to a March blog post by a person of the same name.
“Your enemy is my enemy. But your friend can do a lot more harm,” Sarkar wrote in the post. “Be careful about whom you trust.”
Reuters was not immediately able to confirm the authenticity of the post. The Los Angeles Times quoted an unnamed university source as saying the claims made in the blog were “untrue” and “absolutely psychotic.”
University officials did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
The anger reflected in the March blog contrasted with earlier online records indicating Sarkar had gotten along with Klug. In a copy of his 2013 dissertation posted online, Sarkar thanked Klug.
“I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. William Klug, for all his help and support. Thank you for being my mentor,” Sarkar wrote.
Klug, 39, was a married father of two children, UCLA said in a statement on Thursday.
“Our entire UCLA family is mourning the loss of Professor Klug, a respected, dedicated and caring faculty member,” Gene Block, the university’s chancellor, said in a statement.
Reports of shots fired, or even sightings of possible gunman, have sparked heavy police responses and lockdowns at U.S. schools because of the nation’s history of mass shootings. Last October nine people were shot and killed at Umpqua Community College in southwest Oregon. The 2007 attack at Virginia Tech where a gunman shot dead 32 people was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
University officials said classes would resume on Thursday and counselors will be available for students, faculty and staff.
‘CAN’T THINK STRAIGHT’
Students took to social media to ask the university to reschedule final exams, saying they were rattled by the incident and needed more time to prepare.
Students said on social media on Wednesday that they had hidden behind doors that could not be locked while police searched the campus to make sure there were no other gunmen.
“How the hell am I going to study for finals when this just happened? I can’t think straight,” Bahjat Alirani, a UCLA bioengineering student said on Twitter.
“Students need time to process today. Hope my colleagues seriously consider postponing finals this week. Let’s help everyone heal,” Tyrone Howard, a UCLA associate dean and professor of education, said on Twitter.
UCLA, with more than 43,000 students, is one of the more well-regarded schools in the University of California system.
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