Jul 28, 2014 02:24 PM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

Early Thursday morning, a Chinese graduate student at the University of Southern California (USC) was assaulted near his apartment building and he died from his injuries.

According to the Los Angeles Times, authorities said at least three people attacked Xinran Ji, a 24-year-old engineering student, near his apartment. Only a few blocks from campus, Ji apparently made his way to his fourth floor apartment after the attack, but he did not survive.

Investigators said the assailants used a blunt object in the attack and that they believe Ji died of a head injury, though the cause of death has not been officially revealed. Authorities said the assault was apparently a crime of opportunity, but it was not immediately clear if Ji was robbed.

Two years ago, the USC community mourned two Chinese students after they were shot and killed near campus.

"It's shocking, but at the same time you're almost desensitized because you're like, 'Are you kidding me? It happened again?'" Joe Benson, an undergraduate student at USC, told the Times.

David Carlisle, head of USC's department of public safety (DPS), told the Daily Trojan his investigators assisted the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), though both responded initially. Carlisle said the USC community should not feel threatened as a result of the attack.

"From all early indications, this was an isolated incident and there was and is no apparent threat to the campus community," USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett wrote in an open letter to the campus. "Student Affairs is reaching out to the student's family, roommate and friends to offer all appropriate support and counseling."

Authorities do not have any new leads on a suspect, the Daily Trojan reported, but acknowledged the investigation was just getting started. Ji's family in China has been notified and the school is currently arranging to bring them to Los Angeles.

"We will provide more information as we receive it on the family's wishes regarding a memorial for our student," Garrett wrote in the letter. "Our hearts are with the victim's family and friends, and our entire Trojan Family."

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