SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco Police have released the identities of the two men found shot dead in a parked car with the motor running parked near the University of San Francisco campus early Thursday morning.

The coroner's office has now identified the two fatal shooting victims as 34-year-old Isiah Turner and 19-year-old Andre Helton. Both are African-American men from San Francisco.

Authorities said a 911 call was received around 5:20 a.m. about a silver Mazda 626 with its blinker on and engine running that appeared to contain three men sleeping.

When officers arrived, they quickly spotted the shot-out driver’s side window and discovered the two lifeless bodies strapped in their seat belts and riddled with bullets.

Sgt. Neville Gittens said authorities were not sure there was a third man in the car.

"I can't ever remember having a homicide in this area, at least so near the school," said Grittens, who has been a SF police officer for nearly 28 years.

Thursday night, SF police say they have stepped up patrols in the quiet, residential neighborhood unaccustomed to violent crime.

Friends of the victims told KTVU the younger man lived in the near-by western addition neighborhood.

KTVU has learned that the Mazda was rented from Bay Motor Rental in San Leandro. An employee with the car rental agency said the man who rented the vehicle is the older of the two victims.

Investigators spent hours meticulously collecting evidence. They took steps to preserve the crime scene, carefully wrapping the Mazda in plastic and leaving the bodies inside the car before towing it to a secure facility for further processing.

Investigators are not saying if the shooter was inside or outside the car, nor would they say how many times the men were shot or what evidence was found inside the vehicle.

"We don't have any eyewitnesses at this point to my knowledge. What you want to do is take your time and get as much of the information that's presented to you at the scene because once you remove the scene, then everything is gone," explained Gittens.

Police say the victims are not associated with USF in any way.

The school just ended its summer session and fall classes start in two weeks. One USF student living in a nearby dorm who asked not to be identified him told KTVU he heard the shooting.

"It was three or fourish in the morning. I was doing homework. All of a sudden, I heard gunshots. I know what that sounds like; I live in Oakland. I was a little bit frightened," remembered the student.

University employees, students and neighbors told KTVU vehicle break-ins are common in this area, but not violent crimes.

"People being robbed of their computers and such, but never anything quite like this. It is very unusual," says USF Nursing Professor Pat Lynch.

Police are urging anyone with information about the incident to call them right away.