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Cal State Fullerton Coach And Fiance, A USC Security Officer, Shot To Death

Brianna Sacks, Michael Juliani |
February 4, 2013 | 11:17 a.m. PST

Executive Producers

Cal State Fullerton logo.  (Flickr Creative Commons)
Cal State Fullerton logo. (Flickr Creative Commons)

UPDATE: Click here for full coverage of the ongoing search for Christopher Dorner.

A college basketball coach and her fiance were found shot to death outside their condominium complex in Irvine around 9 p.m. Sunday, authorities reported.

Monica Quan, 28, was an assistant women's basketball coach at Cal State Fullerton. Her fiancé Keith Lawrence, 27, had just begun patrol operations as a public safety officer at USC.

A pedestrian noticed Lawrence slumped over the wheel of a vehicle on the top floor of the condominium's parking structure and called the police, according to USA Today. 

Officers found Quan in the front passanger seat and Lawrence in the driver seat, according to Irvine Police Lt. Julia Engen.

"It doesn't appear they were robbed," Engen told the Orange County Register.

Engen said there was no obvious motive and authorities have released no other details.

The couple played basketball at Concordia University.

READ MORE: Dorner Manhunt: Search For Ex-Cop Fugitive Enters Third Day As Trail Grows Cold

USC's Department of Public Safety hired Lawrence, a graduate of the Ventura County Sheriff's Academy, this past summer as an armed officer. The department's chief, John Thomas, issued a memo to USC safety staff Monday:

"During his brief tenure of service here at USC, Officer Lawrence proved to be an honorable, compassionate and professional member of our department and the Trojan family," he wrote. "We are a better department and the USC Campus Community is a safer place as a result of his service.

READ MORE: Keith Lawrence Remembered As Easy-Going By Mentors And Colleagues

Quan graduated from Walnut High School, in Walnut, CA., in 2002 and was a member of the Walnut High Hall of Fame.

The school is holding a candlelight vigil tonight at 7 p.m.

Authorities say based on evidence that the deaths were neither murder-suicide or an attempted robbery gone bad. Authorities believe the killings to be a double homicide, but have made no arrests.

Read the whole story here.

Learn more about the couple at the Ventura County Star.

See more of Neon Tommy's coverage about USC's Department of Public Safety

Reach Executive Producers Michael Juliani here and Brianna Sacks here.




 

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