Two Chinese students were killed Wednesday in a shooting which could have been a failed carjacking in Los Angeles, police said.

The male and female students from the University of Southern California (USC) were shot overnight while sitting in a double-parked BMW in an area southwest of downtown Los Angeles, said the LA Police Department (LAPD).

The victims, in their early 20s, suffered multiple gunshot wounds, said LAPD spokesman Carlton Brown. The female victim was found slumped in the passenger seat, while the man was on the steps of a nearby house.

The motive for the shootings was unclear, but it may have been a bungled carjacking, he said. One attacker was seen leaving the scene. "We're trying to figure out if it was car-to-car or if someone walked up on them," said Brown.

Los Angeles has a large Chinese and Chinese-American population, including many students. Certain areas of the city are known for frequent gun violence.

The Chinese consulate did not immediately respond to a request for more information. Police said next of kin were being informed.

【新聞快訊】槍擊案發(fā)生在在當(dāng)?shù)貢r間11號凌晨1點多。兩名中國留學(xué)生在南加大校園附近的雷蒙德街遭槍擊。

遇害的兩名中國學(xué)生學(xué)生女生名叫吳穎，男生叫瞿明，兩人都是電子工程系研究生。洛杉磯警方的消息稱，遇害者駕駛的是一輛銀灰色寶馬3系轎車。駕駛座位的玻璃被子彈擊碎，女生在車內(nèi)頭部中彈身亡，男生頭部中彈兩槍，入院后不治身亡。在事發(fā)地點雷蒙德街2717號門前，還能看到男生逃出汽車呼救時留下的血跡。目前，警方正在透過南加大校方以及中國駐洛杉磯總領(lǐng)事館聯(lián)系遇害者家屬。

這起案件是近年來南加大附近傳出的第一起中國留學(xué)生遭槍擊身亡案件，許多留學(xué)生對事件感到震驚。警方表示，涉案的是一名男子，但沒有提供這名嫌犯的體貌特征。目前警方已經(jīng)封鎖了附近地區(qū)，并向知情人了解情況。