Former Security Guard Accused of Murdering College Dean in Workplace Attack: Prosecutors

A college dean who was fatally shot in her office last week is being remembered as “an amazing person” who was “doing the work she loved.”

Prosecutors allege Dr. Cameisha Denise Clark, a dean at Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology in Inglewood, Calif., was shot inside her office by a former security guard last Friday. She was 35 years old.

School officials described the shooting as “an apparent act of workplace violence,” according to reports from 11Alive.com.

KTLA and local KABC reported that Clark, who was a Clark Atlanta University graduate who had recently moved to Los Angeles to take the job as a dean of Spartan College, was taken to a local hospital where she later died. KTLA reported that another victim, a receptionist in the office, was injured in the shooting and remains in critical condition.

Authorities said this week that a motive in the shooting is unclear, according to the outlets.

Clark’s family mourned her death in a statement to NBC 4, KTLA, and KABC, saying they are “beyond devastated” by her alleged murder.

“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, according to the outlets. “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.”

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release on Tuesday that a former school security guard, Jesse Figueroa, had been arrested after allegedly fleeing the campus and was later charged in the shooting.

Figueroa, 40, was charged with 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. The charges carry a possible life sentence in state prison, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said.

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The district attorney also said Figueroa is being charged with using a handgun to cause great bodily injury or death, which carries an additional possible sentencing of 25 years-to-life.

He has not yet entered a plea, the DA’s office tells PEOPLE.

“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.”