Safety & Security

Professor fatally shot by former doctoral student in murder-suicide at UCLA

Police say the gunman also is believed to have killed a woman in Minnesota before heading to California.
June 2, 2016
2 min read

Authorities have identified the two persons who were shot to death Wednesday in a murder-suicide at the University of California Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the gunman was Mainak Sarkar, a former Ph.D student who took his own life after killing Professor William Klug in a small office in UCLA Engineering Building IV. Sharkar reportedly believed that Klug had stolen some computer code from him, police say.

Klug was an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and had been the target of Sarkar’s anger on social media for months. But in Sarkar's doctoral dissertation, submitted in 2013, he expressed gratitude to Klug for his help and support.

UPDATE: Los Angeles Police say Sarkar is believed to have killed a woman in Brooklyn Park, Minn., whose name was on a "kill list" found in the gunman's residence. Fox 11 Los Angeles reports the list included three names: the woman in Minnesota, Klug, and another UCLA professor, who was not injured.

Authorities in Los Angeles had not identified the Minnesota victim, but The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that neighbors identified her as Ashley Hasti. Acting on a request by Los Angeles police, Brooklyn Park police went to Hasti's home early Thursday morning and found her dead from a gunshot wound.

The UCLA Newsroom reported that the university had canceled engineering classes Thursday, but other classes would resume as normal. Counselors have been made available for students, faculty and staff.

“Our hearts are heavy this evening as our campus family mourns the sudden and tragic deaths of two people on our campus earlier today,” said Chancellor Gene Block wrote Wednesday in an email to the entire UCLA community. “The thoughts and prayers of our entire UCLA family are with the victims’ families and the students, faculty and staff of UCLA Engineering." 

The shooting occurred around 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Engineering IV building. The campus was placed on lockdown, as were several nearby schools, while authorities worked to determine if the threat extended beyond the site of the shooting. By Wednesday afternoon, an all-clear was issued.

About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy, senior editor, has written for AS&U on a wide range of educational issues since 1999.

Sign up for American School & University Newsletters