The man who fatally shot three victims and injured a fourth at UNLV on Wednesday is reportedly a professor who failed to get a job at the Las Vegas university.
The now-deceased mass shooter was identified by ABC News as Anthony Polito, 67. He formerly worked at East Carolina University in North Carolina, the Associated Press reported.
Polito taught business subjects throughout his academic career. His most recent residence was an apartment in Henderson, Nev., according to ABC News.
The names of the murdered victims weren’t released immediately by authorities. The deceased were UNLV faculty or staff, according to ABC News. The fourth victim was rushed to a local hospital for treatment of injuries. That patient was in critical but stable condition as of Wednesday night.
Four others on the UNLV campus were transported to area hospitals for treatment of panic-related symptoms, CNN reported.
Started on Fourth Floor
Initially, Polito went to the fourth floor of the campus’ Frank and Estella Beam Hall, which houses the Lee Business School.
He began firing his handgun at about 11:45 a.m., stopping off at other floors in the building before heading outside. As many as 20 shots were fired, according to witnesses.
Two university police officers then confronted Polito, who fired shots at them. The officers returned fire, killing him.
If it hadn’t been for the heroic actions of one of those police officers who responded, there could have been countless additional lives taken,” Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said.
As the shooting unfolded, panicked students rushed for cover and hid in campus buildings. They were told by university security to shelter in place. The all-clear was issued by UNLV security about 40 minutes after the incident began.
One economics faculty member, Stephen Miller, told Casino.org he was in his fifth-floor office in Beam Hall when the fire alarm sounded.
I went down the stairwell. Half way down, I heard many sirens. When I exited the stairwell, I saw students running away from the building. I did not hear gun shots or see any persons shot. I followed the crowd away from the building.”
Numerous messages of sympathy were offered nationwide for the UNLV campus.
To show their support for UNLV, Resorts World Las Vegas and the Strat Hotel, Casino & Tower lit up marquees Wednesday night with the words: “#UNLV Strong #Vegas Strong”
“No student should have to fear pursuing their dreams on a college campus,” McMahill added when speaking to the media.
Campus Closes
Following the shooting, UNLV canceled classes and many other activities through Sunday, according to Las Vegas TV station KLAS.
Officials also temporarily closed Beam Hall, the Flora Dungan Humanities Building, the student union, Wright Hall buildings A, B, and C, and the UNLV bookstore.
Most faculty and staff will work from home for the rest of this week. A UNLV basketball game at the University of Dayton, Ohio, was also canceled.
For many in Las Vegas, Wednesday’s deadly shooting spree brought back memories of the 2017 mass shooting during the Harvest Music Festival, which left 60 dead and hundreds injured.
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