A man and a woman were shot dead on the campus of the University of Washington this morning in what authorities said was possibly a murder suicide, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported. Neither of the two was identified, but friends and co-workers said the woman was employed in a real-estate-studies center on the campus and had recently sought a restraining order against the man.

The shootings occurred about 9 a.m. on the fourth floor of Gould Hall, which houses the architecture department and other programs. A student who entered the building shortly after the shootings told the newspaper that he saw another student on the staircase looking frightened. “A lot of people didn’t understand what was going on, so it was pretty calm,” the student said. “But I turned around and saw four cops with their guns drawn go upstairs.”

Classes in Gould Hall were later canceled for the day, but regular schedules remained for the rest of the campus. Eric Godfrey, vice provost for student affairs, said the university would make counseling available for students and faculty members. —Charles Huckabee