In this screengrab made from video provided by ABC7 Los Angeles, law enforcement gathers outside Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology in Inglewood, Calif., May 2, 2025, after two women were shot on the campus. (ABC7 Los Angeles via AP)

By Jaimie Ding
The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A security guard was charged May 6 with murder in the shooting death of the dean of a small technical college near Los Angeles, officials said.

The dean of student affairs, Cameisha Denise Clark, died at the hospital May 5 after being shot three days earlier at the Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology campus in Inglewood, according to family. Another female employee was wounded in the shooting.

Jesse Figueroa, 40, was charged with murder, attempted murder and several counts for possessing a firearm as a felon. He also faces gun sentencing enhancements, which can lead to additional penalties when a gun is used during a crime.

Figueroa will appear in court May 29 and faces a maximum sentence of life in state prison if convicted as charged. His public defender did not respond to a request for comment.

The technical college’s campus president, Chris Becker, said Figueroa worked for a company that provides security to the school.

Cameisha Denise Clark, a graduate of Clark Atlanta University and the newly promoted dean of student affairs at Spartan College near Los Angeles, died May 5 after a gunman opened fire in the Los Angeles-area school on May 2. (Photo credit: Clark Atlanta University)

Inglewood Mayor James Butts said last week it appeared to be an incident of workplace violence, but charging documents did not lay out a possible motive.

Clark’s family said she had been recently promoted to dean at the school.

“Cameisha uplifted everyone fortunate enough to cross her path,” her family said in a statement to KNBC. “Her leadership, integrity, and deep sense of purpose helped shape futures of countless students from the campus of Clark Atlanta University to Spartan College. She believed in the potential of others even when they could not yet see it in themselves.”

Clark was a graduate of Clark Atlanta University, an HBCU in Atlanta, Ga., where she has strong familial ties. The university said it is creating a $10,000 scholarship fund in her honor.

“Dr. Cameisha Clark exemplified the Panther spirit,” said Dr. George T. French Jr., president of Clark Atlanta University, in the statement. “She lived with purpose, led with heart, and leaves behind a legacy that will continue to uplift and inspire the CAU Nation for generations to come.”