UCLA gunman had accused slain professor of stealing his computer code, sources say

[brooklynite]

Source: Los Angeles Times

The gunman who shot and killed a UCLA professor Wednesday has been identified as Mainak Sarkar, a former doctoral student who had accused the victim of stealing his computer code and giving it to someone else, according to Los Angeles police.

Sarkar took his own life after killing William Klug, 39, in a small office in UCLA Engineering Building 4, sources confirmed. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office on Thursday did not identify the shooter, although it did confirm the victim’s identity Thursday morning.

Klug was an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and had been the target of Sarkar’s anger on social media for months. On March 10, Sarkar called the professor a “very sick person” who should not be trusted.

“William Klug, UCLA professor is not the kind of person when you think of a professor. He is a very sick person. I urge every new student coming to UCLA to stay away from this guy,” Sarkar wrote. “He made me really sick. Your enemy is my enemy. But your friend can do a lot more harm. Be careful about whom you trust.”

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-mainak-sarkar-ucla-20160602-snap-story.html

[yeoman6987]

1. The gunman was from India

The professor and student had long time feud. My question is why a person with a PHD still in classes especially in a class where the student disliked the professor so much. I know many PHD holders and never want to be a student ever again. Lol.

[JonLeibowitz]

5. I don't think you realize how graduate school works.

There is no indication he was still taking classes. One can be a student working under a professor without ever taking a class with them -- it is about the research one is doing.

[yeoman6987]

7. You are 100 percent correct.

Thank you for the example. I am ignorant to how that works.

[valerief]

2. This proves two things: (1) too many people have access to too many guns and

(2) never steal computer code.

[redstatebluegirl]

3. I doubt that he stole his computer code or his data.

First of all, any research the student does that is under the direction and in the lab of a professor is not their private property. The professor has a right to access the data at any time for publication or grant purposes.

This student was delusional, he was doing what many do, blaming others for their shortcomings. In this case it went terribly wrong.

As academics we have to start being more mindful of students who exhibit hostility and signs of mental illness. We tend to say oh it is just stress, we need to start reporting it, every time we feel they are overreacting in a dangerous way.

[valerief]

6. I guess I forgot my sarcasm tag for (2). I didn't think I'd need it. nt

[Ex Lurker]

4. Sounds like paranoid schizophrenia NT

[SpankMe]

11. Agreed. The man was mentally ill. n/t

[DetlefK]

13. An anecdote:

Let's just say that there was this guy at my university who was really weird. He worked in the IT-department and I don't want to go into the details but he seemed a) crazy and b) obsessed with guns and/or violent videogames.

[Downwinder]

8. The solution is:

More gunz on campus. In Texas the Prof would have had a gun too.

[Angel Martin]

9. I know you are being sarcastic

but people facing this kind of specific threat need to arm themselves.

even w/o a gun this student could have attacked the prof with a knife etc.

for this type of threat, the police will arrive too late.

court orders to stay away from some-one do not work for a murder/ suicide situation. Look at the many women killed every year by ex husbands/boyfriends

If there is a specific threat, people need to arm themselves, or be a dead victim.

[Downwinder]

10. Expecting a Professor to be armed

is not going to make them safer. The aggressor will just be better armed.

[Angel Martin]

12. if people want to rationalize

that they will always be helpless, and there is nothing they can do to protect themselves... their funeral

what I think is that for people in the situation of that professor; they should have the legal right to arm themselves

also, we have not yet heard from the media that the killer's firearm was "legally owned". My guess is it was not, because it is very difficult for non-citizens in CA to legally obtain firearms.

[Angel Martin]

14. more to the story apparently

resident of minnesota, drove to LA, had a kill list, woman on it in Minn shot dead
http://ktla.com/2016/06/02/suspect-in-ucla-murder-suicide-had-kill-list-woman-on-list-found-dead-lapd-chief-beck/

[ucrdem]

15. horrible story.