Photo: Clark Atlanta University
A former security guard is facing charges after he allegedly shot and killed a college dean in her office, per PEOPLE.
35-year-old Dr. Cameisha Denise Clark, a dean at Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology in Inglewood, California, was shot on Friday (May 2) in "an apparent act of workplace violence," school officials said. She was taken to a local hospital, where she later died.
Another victim, a receptionist in Clark's office, was injured in the shooting and remains in critical condition.
Former school security guard Jesse Figueroa was arrested in the shooting after allegedly fleeing the campus. Figueroa is facing one felony count of murder, another felony for attempted murder, as well as felony counts for possession of a firearm with prior violent convictions and for possession of a firearm with prior convictions. Those charges carry the possibility of life in prison.
The motive behind the shooting remains unclear. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said Figueroa is also being charged with using a handgun to cause great bodily injury or death, which carries an additional 25 years to life.
“Any student, faculty member, or employee should feel safe and secure going to school,” Hochman said in a statement. “This horrific act of gun violence has shaken Spartan College and our entire community. We will file all appropriate gun enhancements in this case and send a clear message to criminals that violence will not be tolerated in Los Angeles County.”
According to reports, Clark graduated from Clark Atlanta University and had just moved to Los Angeles to take the job as the dean of Spartan College.
“Cameisha’s life was taken from us far too soon, in an act of senseless violence that no woman should ever have to endure,” Clark’s family said in a statement. “She was an amazing person who didn’t deserve this. She was living her best life, doing the work she loved. Cameisha was the most compassionate, loving and fiercely loyal person. She was a radiant, joyful, driven, and compassionate woman who touched countless lives across the country from her hometown of Atlanta, Ga. to L.A.”
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