Lauren McCluskey

      University of Utah athlete Lauren                   McCluskey shot and killed on campus

1. Pentathlete and high jumper mourned by teammates and friends
2. Man identified as former boyfriend found dead on Tuesday

A University of Utah athlete was shot and killed on campus on Monday night by her former boyfriend, who was found dead hours later inside a church, local authorities have confirmed.

Lauren McCluskey, who competed for the university in high jump and pentathlon, was shot outside a dormitory just before 10 pm. Police said she had had a relationship with the shooter, identified as 37-year-old Melvin Rowland. Police followed Rowland to a church off-campus where he was found dead.

The university’s president, Ruth Watkins, said the university had canceled classes on Tuesday and scheduled an evening vigil for McCluskey, who was 21 and majoring in communications.  “As a campus community, we share grief over this tragic loss of life,” she said in a statement.

The university’s athletics director, Mark Harlan, said psychologists were available to support McCluskey’s teammates, coaches and friends. “This news has shaken not only myself but our entire University of Utah athletics family to its core,” he said. 

McCluskey’s body was found in a car on campus. “It was really scary to look out the window and see. I saw 15 to 20 police officers right where we’re standing right now,” Tyler Olsen, a student who lives in family housing near the shooting scene, told the Deseret News. “I mean, you’re in your home, but nowhere feels safe in that moment.” 

Last month, an ex-convict pleaded guilty to killing a University of Utah student from China using a gun stolen after another slaying. Austin Boutain, 24, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.  He and his wife were charged with hatching a carjacking plot that led to the death of Chenwei Guo.