LOS ANGELES (KRON) — The University of California at Los Angeles was on a campus-wide lockdown after two people were shot dead in a murder-suicide Wednesday morning, according to officials.
The shooting was reported at around 10 a.m. at UCLA’s Boelter Hall, part of the Samueli School of Engineering & Applied Science, according to a tweet sent out by school officials.
Police confirmed that two male victims are dead after a shooting inside a small office at Boelter Hall.
It is unknown whether the two males killed were students or staff members that were both found inside an engineering building, according to UCLA Police Chief James Herren.
Authorities said that the gun has been recovered and that there are no outstanding suspects, the situation is contained and there is no continuing threat on campus.
Authorities had received reports of an active shooter in or near the building, Los Angeles Police Officer Tony Im said.
Students told UCPD they heard a loud noise and gun shellings drop, according to UCPD Lt. Richard Davis. Davis added he did not know when students first reported the incident.
UCLA released a Bruin Alert about 9:52 a.m. informing students to find a secure location and lock entry.
Officials put the entire campus on lockdown and police asked anyone on campus to shelter and place as authorities investigated the incident.
Large groups of police with long guns patrolled the streets of the campus of more than 40,000 students.
SWAT officers and dozens of squad cars filled the area as police tried to clear campus buildings floor by floor.
Freshman Teddi Mattox said she was in a cafeteria getting breakfast with about 100 other students when the shooting occurred.
“We got the alert and a woman said, ‘This is not a joke, everyone get to the back of the dining hall because we have to stay away from the windows,’” she told CNN. “We’re crowded back here, we’ve been here for at least an hour and a half. People are crying, they’re nervous, they’re shaking.
“I have not stopped shaking for the last hour and a half,” she said.
Los Angeles police will lead the shooting investigation. Agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also were headed to the scene.
“So far we don’t know the nature of the shooting,” CNN senior law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes said.
“If it’s a personal thing between a couple of students, then it will be a local police matter. If by chance it turned into a terrorist situation, then the FBI would have primary jurisdiction over that.”
Los Angeles police issued a citywide tactical alert, meaning officers on duty will be extended.
The school on the west side of Los Angeles is a flagship of the University of California system, with about 43,000 students. It’s currently the week before final exams and graduation set for Friday.
The engineering school’s senior class dinner was scheduled for Thursday evening.
Further details are unavailable at this time.
