L. Anthony Sutin, a 1984 graduate of Harvard Law School (HLS), was killed Wednesday in a shooting at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia, of which he was dean.

Sutin was allegedly shot by Peter Odighizuwa, a student at the college who had been dismissed because of academic reasons.

A professor at the school and another student were also killed in the shooting, and three other students were wounded.

After graduating from HLS, Sutin served in many roles in the both legal education and the government.

Sutin served in the Justice Department from 1994 to 1998 during the Clinton administration after working on the 1992 Clinton/Gore campaign. During the Clinton administration, he also served as deputy associate attorney general.

He served as acting assistant attorney general for legislative affairs in 1998.

In 1998, he left the Justice Department to help found the Appalachian School of Law.

He also worked for the Washington law firm Hogan & Hartson where one of his legal specialities included election law.

“Tony was a distinguished public servant and a pioneer in legal education,” HLS Dean Robert C. Clark said in a statement.

Sutin graduated from Brandeis University in 1981.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret and his two children. He was 42.

—Staff writer Zachary Z Norman can be reached at znorman@fas.harvard.edu.

—Material from the Associated Press was used in the compilation of this report.