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POTSDAM — State police said a woman was stabbed to death Thursday in an apartment at 401 Swan St. and her attacker was killed by responding officers.

Village police were called to the home at Swan Landing Apartments at 2:45 p.m.

When they arrived, police said, they found a male suspect on top of a woman, stabbing her and himself.

Police said both the victim and the assailant were students at Clarkson University. They released no further identification. Authorities said after several requests for the man to drop the knife, officers fired multiple shots at him, killing him.

Joanna Zhou, a Clarkson student who lives in the apartment complex, said she heard three or four gunshots.

The stabbed woman was taken to Canton-Potsdam Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

District Attorney Mary E. Rain said the incident may require further review by the state because of it being a fatal incident involving a police officer.

Many of the residents of the apartment complex are students and faculty at nearby Clarkson University.

Clarkson spokesman Michael P. Griffin issued an official statement from the university saying that the school was made aware in the afternoon that law enforcement was on the scene at Swan Landing Apartments near campus following an alleged domestic dispute that resulted in the death of both people involved.

“We were in contact with law enforcement, who told us that the incident did not pose a threat to the campus,” the statement said.

Students and employees were sent emails about the incident at 4:46 p.m., according to the college.

That message was followed by a 5:19 p.m. email to all students and employees that said, in consideration of the number of Clarkson community members living in the Swan Landing complex, students and others who needed grief counseling services were encouraged to reach out to the college’s counseling center staff.