The UCLA shooter Mainak Sarkar may have killed his wife in Minnesota, before heading to Los Angeles, where he killed a professor in the university campus. Then, Sarkar committed suicide. Investigators found his wife’s body at her home, after reading her name on a “kill list” written by the murderer.

On Wednesday, Mainak Sarkar committed a suicide murder at an engineering building at the University of California, Los Angeles. He first killed a young professor and then killed himself using two semi-automatic guns.

UCLA shooter may have killed wife
The body of Ashley Hasti, Mainak Sarkar’s wife, was found in her residence in Minnesota. Credit: Business Insider

A second professor was written on the shooter’s “kill list.” Police Chief Charlie Beck said that Sarkar may have tried to shoot the second professor but was not able to find him, among the lively campus. The event occurred a week before final exams.

Authorities have not publicly announced the names of people on the list. Investigators of the case told The Associated Press (AP) that the woman was identified as Ashley Hasti. Documents report that she married the UCLA shooter in 2011.

Police continue to investigate the case

The list was found in the same office where Sarkar killed Professor William Klug. The second man was identified as a UCLA professor from the engineering faculty. The note requested anyone who found it, to monitor the shooter’s cat in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Police then burst at Sarkar’s apartment, where he left a list featuring three targets. Ashley Hasti, who appeared on the sheet, was found dead at her residence nearby town of Brooklyn Park, said AP on Friday.

Neighbors told AP that Hasti lived with her father at the residence. Documents have demonstrated that she married Sarkar in 2011. She apparently ended up the relationship after one year, but could not afford a divorce, according to her grandmother Jean Johnson.

Sarkar had previously denigrated Professor Klug online

Police Chief Charlie Beck said that Sarkar had criticized Professor Klug online. Investigators have found writings showing “harsh language, but nothing that would be considered homicidal,” said AP.

Police officers found a blog post published in March, by someone identified as “Sarkar.” The person was accusing Professor Klug of stealing code and giving it to another student. Officer Beck has described the shooter as mentally unstable.

According to Sarkar’s LinkedIn profile, he was a graduate student from Stanford University and obtained a degree in aerospace engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology at Kharagpur.

He also worked as an engineering analyst at Endurica, a company headquartered in Ohio, said AP. Klug, a 39-year-old professor, was the father of a 9-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl.

“This is an indescribable loss. Bill was so much more than my soulmate. I will miss him every day for the rest of my life. Knowing that so many others share our family’s sorrow has provided a measure of comfort,” Klug’s wife, Mary Elise Klug, said in a statement.

Hundreds of UCLA students and professors gathered on Thursday for a vigil in Bruin Plaza. Klug’s wife Mary Elise visited his office on the same day and asked for family privacy.

Source: The Associated Press