Classroom by classroom, police search for UCLA shooter

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A memorial left at “The Bruin” on the UCLA campus Friday morning.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA students write and post notes on the bear on UCLA’s Bruin Walk on Thursday, a day after the deadly shooting on campus.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA student Mai Que Vo, left, comforts India McFarlane, who was crying as students wrote notes to be placed on the Bruin Walk bear Thursday, a day after the deadly shooting of an engineering professor on campus.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Flowers were left at the door of the Engineering IV Building on Thursday morning.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Smashed doors can be seen on the fourth floor of the UCLA engineering building where Wednesday’s murder-suicide took place.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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The word “clear” written on a wall near smashed doors on the fourth floor of the Engineering Building.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA students walk past the Engineering Building Thursday morning where engineering professor William Klug was killed.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Charles Kawczynski, a doctoral mechanical engineering student, talks on June 2 about the shooting at UCLA as he stands in front of damaged doors on the fourth floor of the Engineering Building, where the slaying of a professor occurred.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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A UCLA police officer works June 2 on the fourth floor of the Engineering Building, where a professor and former doctoral student were killed in a murder-suicide.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Police escort people at UCLA after a lockdown was lifted following a shooting on campus.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Students return to campus Wednesday after a shooting at UCLA. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA Gabriela Romero calls her mother telling her not to worry after a shooting on campus Wednesday.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Police respond to the UCLA campus after a shooting Wednesday. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Hundreds of UCLA students leave the UCLA campus after the lockdown was called off after two people were shot on campus.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA students evacuate the campus.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Police search the UCLA campus after a shooting Wednesday.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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A police officer searches the UCLA campus after a shooting on Wednesday. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Police search the UCLA campus after a shooting Wednesday.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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SWAT officers Eddie Roca, right, and P.J. Rudolf rest after responding to a shooting at UCLA.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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People gather in a campus building after a shooting at UCLA. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA students evacuate the campus after a shooting Wednesday.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Police officers check and evacuate students after a shooting on the UCLA campus on Wednesday.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Police officers check evacuees after a shooting on the UCLA campus on Wednesday.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Police officers evacuate students after a shooting on the UCLA campus on Wednesday.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA students are evacuated from the Mathmatics building after a shooting on campus.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Police officers check students after a shooting at UCLA on Wednesday.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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People evacuate the UCLA campus. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Police officers respond to a shooting at UCLA on Wednesday.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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People are frisked at the scene of a shooting at UCLA on Wednesday morning.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Police officers questions a students after a shooting at UCLA on Wednesday morning.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Police officers respond to a shooting at UCLA on Wednesday morning.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Police rush to the scene of a shooting at UCLA on Wednesday morning.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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The scene at UCLA on Wednesday morning, where a shooting was reported.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Police officers in tactical gear at the scene of a shooting at UCLA on Wednesday morning.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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People evacuate the UCLA campus after a shooting on Wednesday.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Police officers respond to a shooting at UCLA on Wednesday morning.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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A ladder hangs out a window after a shooting at UCLA on Wednesday morning.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

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Police officers in tactical gear at the scene of a shooting at UCLA on Wednesday morning.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Police officers deploy at the scene of a shooting at UCLA on Wednesday morning.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

By Richard Winton

and Ruben Vives

June 1, 2016 10:59 AM PT

As police search for a suspect in a shooting at the UCLA campus, they are using a tried-and-true method that has been honed in numerous similar incidents.

According to authorities, two people were shot on campus and police are looking for a 6-foot-tall man dressed in all black. Hundreds of law enforcement authorities are converging on the sprawling campus, which covers 419 acres.

Alex Baquero, 31, was installing some fixtures and routers when he started hearing students running down the hall at Bolter Hall in UCLA.

At first he didn’t think anything of it, there’s been active shooting drills before.

But within an instant, all that change when police arrived. He heard a man yell “Run! Run! Run! Active shooter!”

UPDATE: Two dead in murder-suicide at UCLA; campus lockdown lifted >>

Students began running from all different places. Baquero ran into a room and locked himself in.

“It was such a madhouse, people were just trying to get out,” Baquero said.

Police generally search for suspects by forming into small teams using “grid by grid” system. In this case, officers are going classroom to classroom, lab to lab to clear each one as they go.

Videos and images on social media show police in riot gear roaming through classrooms across UCLA with guns drawn. There are also images of police asking people they encourage to put their hands up.

The idea is to make sure all areas are safe before moving on.

The process was used last year during the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, which killed 14 people at the Inland Regional Center. Police slowly cleared the area and later tracked down the shooters. In that case, the sweep uncovered explosive devices that the shooters left at the center.

UPDATES:

11:50 a.m. Updated with color from the scene at UCLA.

This story was originally posted at 10:57 a.m.