LAPD Identifies University of Southern California Grad Student Who Killed His Professor
— -- Los Angeles Police have identified the University of Southern California student who fatally stabbed a professor Friday afternoon at the school's L.A. campus.
David Jonathan Brown, 28, a graduate brain and cognitive science student, was arrested on suspicion of killing Bosco Tjan, a professor of psychology with USC's Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, who oversaw his work. Brown was one of just five students who worked in the lab with Tjan, and colleagues told The AP Tjan was a mentor to Brown.
The USC Department of Public Safety said in a statement that investigators believe the attack "was the result of a personal dispute."
Brown was being held on a $1 million bond. It's unclear if he has an attorney.
In a letter sent to staff and students on Friday, USC president C.L. Max Nikias identified the victim as Tjan. Also the co-director of the Dornsife Cognitive Neuroimaging, Tjan joined the USC faculty in 2001 and was an expert in perception, vision, and cognition, Nikias wrote.
According to the Associated Press, public records indicate Tjan was a 50-year-old married father of one.
According to the LAPD, Tjan was killed inside the Seeley G. Mudd building around 4:30 p.m. A male student was arrested without incident immediately after police arrived at the scene of the attack but his name was not released.
USC's Nikias said in his letter, "Our Department of Public Safety officers responded immediately, and apprehended the suspect on the scene. The suspect was confirmed to be a student, and is in the custody of the Los Angeles Police Department. We are extremely proud of our Department of Public Safety officers for their quick response, and our university counselors for immediately offering support at the scene."
Nikias said on Monday the school's dean of religious life, Varun Soni, "will bring the campus community together for reflection and prayer."
ABC News' Rex Sakamoto contributed to this report.
