WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Three people were shot dead and three others wounded in a shooting at the University of Alabama in Huntsville on Friday.

According to U.S. TV and wire reports, a university spokesperson confirmed that the suspect was a female member of the university's faculty, who was already in custody.

Local Waaty TV said that a professor was denied tenure this afternoon, prompting the attack, but the cause of the shooting hasnot yet been confirmed.

Of the casualties, five were faculty members and the sixth was a staff member, said Trent Willis, a city official.

There are no student victims and no students were involved in the incident.

The shooting happened in the university's Shelby Hall, a math and science building.

The Huntsville campus in northern Alabam has about 7,500 students.