The man accused of shooting dead a professor in a murder-suicide at UCLA yesterday had written a "kill list" that included a woman who has been found dead in Minnesota, police said.
The former University of California, Los Angeles, graduate student shot dead a woman at her home in Minnesota before he drove almost 3,200km to UCLA and killed Professor William Klug, 39, before taking his own life.
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said that a search of graduate engineering student Mainak Sarkar's home in St Paul, Minnesota, turned up a "kill list" that included the name of the woman found dead nearby, as well as the name of the other UCLA professor, who was not harmed.
Authorities said Sarkar had been armed with two 9mm pistols and multiple ammunition clips. He killed himself immediately after fatally shooting Prof Klug, Chief Beck said.
The attack prompted a two-hour lockdown of the campus and staff and students were ordered to shelter in place.
Police searched Sarkar's home after finding a note at the Los Angeles crime scene asking for someone to check on his cat, Chief Beck said.
"In the search of Sarkar's residence in Minneapolis, a list was located," Chief Beck said. "The list has been described as a kill list, that was the wording that was put on it."
The attack appeared to be provoked by Sarkar's belief that Prof Klug had stolen computer code from him, according to a March blog post that appears to be written by him.
"Your enemy is my enemy. But your friend can do a lot more harm," the post said. "Be careful about whom you trust."
Reuters was not able to confirm the authenticity of theblog.
"UCLA says there is no truth to this," Chief Beck said of the alleged theft of code. "This was a making of his own imagination."
Chief Beck said UCLA faculty members were aware that Sarkar, who had graduated in 2013, harboured anger towards them.
"There was some harsh language but certainly nothing that would be considered homicidal," he said, referring to social media postings by Sarkar. His motive for killing the woman was unclear, Chief Beck said.
Police in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, located north of Minneapolis, said they discovered the woman's body when they went to check on her. Police did not immediately disclose her identity.
Prof Klug was a married father of two children, UCLA said in a statement.
"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.
Classes resumed at UCLA today, with the university offering counsellors for students, faculty and staff.
UCLA, with more than 43,000 students, is one of the morewell-regarded schools in the University of California system.
