A gunman who was apparently failing out of the University of Arizona College of Nursing shot three female professors yesterday morning before shooting himself.
The shooter, later identified as Robert Flores Jr., 41, shot one of the professors in her second floor office and then entered a fourth floor classroom and shot another two professors. He then told the students to leave.
The shootings occurred at approximately 8:40 a.m. MST at the nursing school, University of Arizona spokeswoman Lisa Wakefield said. She added that the motives behind the shooting are unknown at this time.
"We have very little information," Wakefield said. "Four people are dead, and one victim was the shooter, who committed suicide."
All of the victims were Flores' professors, according to police reports. Police identified the victims as Robin Rogers, 50, Cheryl McGaffic, 44, and Barbara Monroe, 45.
After the shooting, police shut down the building that houses the College of Nursing, as well as the neighboring structures that house the College of Pharmacy, according to McKenzie Loretta, a spokeswoman at the Arizona Health Sciences Center.
"They have cancelled classes for both the College of Nursing and the College of Pharmacy," Loretta said. "We're thinking things will be back as scheduled tomorrow."
Loretta said most students and faculty were aware that the gunman died in the attack and that there was not a current threat to their safety.
"I think a lot of the people who left did it for their own piece of mind," she said.
The shooting did not disrupt academic activity at the rest of the university.
"Classes on the main campus are going on as scheduled," she said.
Neither the Tuscon Police nor the University of Arizona Police would comment on the specifics of the investigation, other than to confirm that the gunman did commit suicide after the attacks.
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