Three are deceased and one is injured after a 67-year old gunman, now deceased, fired on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Dec. 6. The gunman, who was killed in a shootout with the police at the scene, has now been identified as career-professor Anthony Polito. He had unsuccessfully sought a job at UNLV and several other Nevada higher-education institutions and was targeting professors.
At 12:05 p.m. on Dec. 6, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department took to X, saying they were responding to an active shooter on campus and urging Las Vegas residents to avoid downtown. The shooting began in Beam Hall, a frequently used building on the campus which has only one entrance and exit.
A UNLV student reported that they were sheltered in a campus building once they learned of the threat through a text sent to students of the university. Other students reported to have heard the gunshots.
UNLV posted to social media, warning students, “This is not a test. RUN-HIDE-FIGHT.” Shots were also fired in the Student Union. News 3 Las Vegas reported that there appeared to be multiple deceased at the scene.
Shortly after posting that the shooter had been contained, local police reported on X at 1:38 p.m. MT that the suspect was deceased. At 2:04 p.m., police reported that they had begun evacuating campus buildings.
The three deceased victims have been identified as professors Cha-Jan “Jerry” Chang, Patricia Navarro-Velez and Naoko Takemaru. The fourth victim is a visiting professor who remains unnamed and has been in the hospital under “life-threatening” conditions.
Polito was found with a Taurus 9 mm handgun and 11 magazines on his person, nine of which were fully loaded. He had fired over 150 rounds of ammunition.
While investigating Polito, police found a list of targets, all of whom were professors. Some had taught at Eastern Carolina University, where he had spent most of his career. Authorities intercepted 22 envelopes that had been mailed to teachers, some of which contained a white powder that was later tested and found to be harmless.
Southern Utah University is made up of 1,318 current students from Nevada, making up 8.8% of the university’s student population. The majority of those are from Clark County where UNLV is located. SUU students who have been affected by this tragedy can contact Counseling and Psychological Services for support.
Author: Lily Brunson
Photos courtesy of @LVMPD on X
Editor: Chevy Blackburn
news@suunews.net
