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A husband and wife are dead after a shooting at the University of Utah, campus police say.

Richard Peralta, 25, fatally shot his wife, Katherine Peralta, 23, about 4:45 p.m. in the west parking lot of ARUP Laboratories, 500 S. Chipeta Way, according to university Police Chief Dale Brophy. The man apparently shot himself, Brophy said, and was taken to a hospital, where he died.

"It was over before we arrived," the chief said.

Katherine Peralta worked at ARUP, Brophy said. The chief did not know whether the couple had a history of domestic violence.

Utah court records show no divorce filings or protective orders related to the couple. Social media posts indicate the couple had one child and Richard Peralta had served in the U.S. Navy.

The Peraltas' last interaction took place in the parking lot, Brophy said: "This is where he came to confront her."

Police were interviewing several witnesses and had taped off a section of the lot while officers searched the area.

At about 5:10 p.m., according to an employee at the lab, someone said "Code Purple" over the intercom. That code is a protocol for telling people to stay in place.

"Everyone was kind of curious what's going on," George Barraza, who says he works in the infectious-disease department, told The Salt Lake Tribune. "No one knew it was a shooting."

The Code Purple was lifted about 5:50 p.m., Barraza said. By 6 p.m., employees were exiting the building. Some had to walk around police tape to reach their cars.

ARUP is a medical testing and research company and a major tenant at the university's Research Park. ARUP's website says it has more than 3,000 employees at its campus building.

An ARUP representative declined to comment Thursday night and said the company plans to release a statement to the media Friday morning.

It's the first homicide at the university since June 25, 2007, when state prison inmate Curtis Allgier overpowered and shot corrections officer Stephen Anderson. Allgier was at University Hospital for a back examination. Allgier is serving a sentence of life in prison with no chance for parole.

ncarlisle@sltrib.com, nparker@sltrib.com

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