A contracted worker found 89 live .22 caliber rounds of ammunition in a room in the College of Nursing, 1305 N. Martin Ave., at 4:43 p.m. on July 23, reports stated.
The ammunition was small BBs probably used for bird hunting or target practice, said UAPD officer Tim Lopez, who responded to the call.
The likelihood of the ammunition being used to hurt or kill people is very minimal.
"They're not made to kill people, it's not that type of round," said Sergeant Eugene Mejia, UAPD spokesperson.
The impact of one of the bullets in close range could hurt someone especially if it was aimed at the eye or ear. From far range, the bullet would have the same impact as a high-powered BB rifle.
Someone involved in a desert research project may have used the ammunition. The ammunition would deliver a debilitating wound to a small animal, Mejia said.
The man found the ammunition in a desk that faced the south wall while he was cleaning a room which was being vacated to use for other purposes.
It is unknown how long the ammunition had been in the desk or who it belonged to.
"It's hard to tell why somebody would put that there," Lopez said. "It seemed to me that they had been there a while."
Police took the rounds and stored them as property to be destroyed, reports stated.