Dean Killed in Execution-Style Workplace Shooting at L.A. Aviation School

Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology is a specialized aviation training school located near Los Angeles International Airport, offering technical programs in aircraft maintenance and aviation technology. Its Inglewood campus, which serves around 500 students, became the site of a deadly workplace shooting on the afternoon of May 2.

Around 3:40 p.m., Jesse Figueroa, a 40-year-old security guard employed at the school through a third-party firm, entered an office on the 8900 block of Aviation Boulevard and opened fire. Inside were two women, 35-year-old Dr. Cameisha Clark, the recently promoted dean of student affairs, and her 37-year-old receptionist. According to Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts, Figueroa shot Dr. Clark in the head execution style. The receptionist was also shot but survived and was last reported in stable condition.

Authorities say the incident was not random, but a targeted act of workplace violence. Figueroa reportedly had a personal grievance with Dr. Clark, though the specifics of the dispute have not been publicly detailed. The shooting took place during an employee appreciation event being held on campus.

Following the attack, Figueroa fled the scene. Law enforcement quickly identified him based on his role at the school and located his vehicle in Koreatown a few hours later. He was arrested around 6 p.m. in Pico-Union after a family member placed a 911 call. Police recovered a handgun from his car and conducted gunshot residue testing.

Though employed as an unarmed guard, Figueroa was carrying a firearm illegally. He has a prior criminal record, including violent convictions, and was prohibited from possessing a gun. Witnesses from the school described Figueroa as someone with mental health problems, and some staff members said they had observed troubling behavior before the shooting.

Now charged with murder, attempted murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession of a firearm with prior violent convictions, Figueroa also faces sentencing enhancements for using a gun in the commission of a crime. He is being held on $5.3 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on May 29. If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Regardless of whether this is categorized as workplace violence or a school; shooting, the result is the same. One woman is dead, another is wounded, and a campus community is left reeling. Figueroa should never have had access to a gun. But like so many others before him, he did. Every gun used by a killer was once in the hands of someone labeled a “good guy.” Until the moment they weren’t.

(Sources)