Two people shot dead at UCLA; campus on lockdown

LOS ANGELES: At least two people were shot dead at the University of California, Los Angeles on Wednesday, police and campus officials said, drawing a phalanx of police cruisers to the scene and prompting officials to lock down the campus.

"Police are investigating a shooting in Engineering IV. Police are on the scene and report that there are two victims," UCLA´s office of media relations said in an online posting, referring to a building that is part of UCLA´s Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science.

"The campus remains on lockdown."

NBC News reported two people were killed, citing unidentified law enforcement sources. Later, police officials also confirmed that the two people who were shot at the campus have succumbed to their wounds, AFP reported.

"Right now the police are at the scene and the campus is on lockdown," said an office manager in the university´s media relations division. The university has more than 43,000 enrolled students, according to its website.

Bioengineering student Bahjat Alirani said police were yelling at people to run from the scene.

"I was in Boelter Hall to take a final and I exit the staircase to see SWAT-looking police yelling at everyone to evacuate immediately," Alirani told Reuters.

"I check my email and BruinAlert had immediately sent an email to all students notifying them of a shooter in the engineering building."

UCLA is in the Westwood section of Los Angeles and one of the more well-regarded schools in the University of California system, known for its successful sports program– AFP/Reuters