A vigil to mourn the loss of a UCLA professor who was killed by a former student in a murder-suicide on campus was held at the engineering school Friday evening.
The vigil, organized by the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, was held at 4 p.m. on the steps of Boelter Hall on the Court of Sciences, the university announced.
William Klug, a 39-year-old engineering professor, was shot in a campus office Wednesday by Mainak Sarkar, who then turned the gun on himself. Sarkar, 38, claimed Klug had stolen his computer code and given it to another student.
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said Sarkar was mentally unstable and the theft was all in his mind.
More than 2,000 students and faculty members gathered for a candlelight vigil at the Bruin Plaza Thursday night to remember Klug.
Students and colleagues described Klug as a compassionate professor who motivated and inspired his students.
"He's really the reason why I went back to school after six years of being out. He's so inspirational," said Elaine Karaelias.
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Days before the murder-suicide, Sarkar is also suspected of shooting and killing his estranged wife, Ashely Hasti, a medical student at the University of Minnesota, police said. The motive behind Hasti's killing is unknown.
Klug and Hasti were named on a "kill list" found at Sarkar's home in Minneapolis, along with a second UCLA professor whose name has not been released, authorities said.
Klug's wife, Mary Elise Klug, released a statement through UCLA Thursday thanking the community for its outpouring of support.
"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," she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
