Update, 6/9, 2:00 pm: Cops have released a video (via Gothamist) of the suspect. The Times reports that police believe that the three men found dead were drug dealers who were shot execution-style for stealing from other drug dealers. All three victims had prior arrests on their records.

Update, 6/8, 5:00 pm: Vice President for Public Safety James McShane has sent a message to parents and students detailing the Columbia’s security measures and procedures.

Update, 6/8, 3:20 pm: An email was just sent to all students reiterating the lack of involvement in the incident from members of the Columbia Community, and urging everyone who isn’t already signed up for text alerts to do so:

You may have seen or heard news reports about the violent incident yesterday on West 122nd Street. The NYPD is investigating, but there has been no suggestion that this event involved any member of the Columbia community, or that the University community was at risk.

…

For Students: Log in to Student Services Online, click on “Text Message Enrollment,” and add your cell phone number.

For Faculty and Staff: Log in to MyColumbia, click on the Faculty & Staff tab, and update your personal information. Select “Mobile” from the phone type, add your mobile  phone number, and click “Save.”

Update, 1:20 am: Look below for a few pictures from the crime scene.

Update, 11:47 pm: Things are pretty much wrapped up. Apparently Ray Kelly, Commissioner of the NYPD, was on the scene earlier. Paul Browne, Deputy Commissioner of Public Information, gave the media briefings.

Update, 11:00 pm: All 3 victims are now believed to be Hispanic and in their twenties. The man in the back seat appears to have been shot in the left temple and those in front appear to be shot in the head/neck by the back of their ears. Those in front are wearing blood-soaked t shirts.

Update, 10:35 pm: Our reporter on the scene sent us the following.

Police just came and updated us. At 6:30 pm, a guy walking from Riverside park to Broadway saw what looked like two dead bodies in car and flagged down a police cruiser, which reported three dead males with apparent gunshot wounds. The car is a recently purchased 2009 BMW LI, which was not parked on 122nd street for an extended period of time, only an hour or so. There were no reports of shots fired or calls to 911, suggesting that the victims were not shot there.

All the windows are very tinted, possibly illegally, so police are just squinting through the cracked windshield. The car isn’t badly damaged; no windows are blown out. NYPD ran the car’s license plates and they don’t match the registration.

Police are now photographing the victims, who they believe the males are in their twenties. The driver is black, the passenger is possibly Hispanic, and the race of the man in the back is unknown. The passenger is wearing a Yankees cap. All three appear to have gunshot wounds, probably in the head, and there’s blood.

There are cameras on the block, which the police will check.

Update, 10:13 pm: The administration sent along another text notification.

The police investigation of the incident at 122nd Street and Broadway is continuing, but there is no apparent involvement by members of the Columbia community. Affiliates are advised to avoid the area.

Three victims were found dead inside of a BMW parked near 122nd and Claremont, as reported by NBC and the NYPost. The Post reports that the cause of death for all three individuals appears to be gunshot wounds, which it seems were delivered inside the car. Columbia has just sent out an emergency text message and email, both of which read:

Three persons were discovered deceased in an auto from an apparent gunshot wound at 122nd Street between Broadway and Claremont. NYPD is investigating. Further details as they become available.

Stay alert, folks!