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UCLA Professor Shot To Death Has Santa Barbara County Connection

(Photo courtesy Elizabeth Laugeson)
Police securing UCLA campus in wake of Wednesday morning shooting

The UCLA engineering professor shot to death in Wednesday’s murder-suicide at the Westwood campus had a big Santa Barbara County connection. Dr. William Klug graduated from Westmont in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering/Physics. He earned a master’s degree from UCLA, and his doctorate at Cal Tech. Klug’s wife, Mary Elise, was also a Westmont graduate. The Montecito university released a statement from President Gail Beebe saying Klug was an excellent student, and stayed connected to Westmont by returning to speak and take part in summer science symposiums. The 39 year old professor had two young children. The LAPD hasn’t identified the gunman yet, or talked about possible motives for the attack.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.