Two bodies were found in a small office in an engineering building on the UCLA campus Wednesday and a gun was recovered at the scene, says Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck. He adds that the case is being investigated as a possible murder-suicide.
A lockdown is now in the process of being lifted, hours after police swarmed the UCLA campus to investigate reports of an active shooter. The violence was reported in the heart of the school's campus.
"There is evidence that there could be a suicide note," Beck told journalists at a news conference shortly after noon. In an interview with local news NBC4 TV, Beck said that the gun and note had been found close to the bodies. His agency says that both of the shooting victims were male.
Beck added that there had been reports of at least three shots fired — but that the danger has now passed, and police were turning the campus back over to UCLA's students.
"They're in their finals; this is a very stressful time for them," Beck said.
Earlier today, the LAPD refused to say whether the shooting victims were students, staff or visitors to the university.
At an earlier news conference, LAPD Capt. Andy Neiman said the shooting had been reported around 10 a.m. local time.
"There's not been any reports of any bombs or devices," Newman said in response to a question about other possible threats.
Both UCLA's newsroom and its student newspaper reported that the campus was on lockdown as police investigated a reported shooting in the area of two adjacent buildings: Engineering IV and Boelter Hall. After that news emerged, the LAPD said that an "active shooter" was in Engineering IV.
"Police confirming two shooting victims at UCLA," the school's newsroom tweeted.
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