(RepublicanReport.org) – Students, staff, and faculty members stayed off the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) campus for the rest of the week following a tragic mass shooting that took the lives of three innocent people and sent one more to the hospital. Investigators are still trying to piece together the reason behind the terrifying event, which led to a shootout between the gunman and police, but they uncovered evidence that the university had previously denied the person a teaching job.
Devastation on Campus
University Police Services at UNLV’s Maryland Parkway Campus issued a shelter-in-place alert at roughly 11:45 a.m. on December 6 after they received a report of gunfire at Frank and Estella Beam Hall. Officers moved in quickly to contain the situation and assist victims, and the gunman ultimately died in the shootout that followed. Witnesses reported hearing as many as 20 rounds fired during the ordeal, which lasted a total of about 40 minutes.
UNLV’s president, Dr. Keith E. Whitfield, issued an official statement later that day. He expressed his grief over the tragedy and offered wishes of love and support from the university to victims, their families, and others who felt affected by the senseless act of violence. Dr. Whitfield stated that the campus canceled all classes and related activities through Sunday, December 10, but it was allowing people in limited areas on the premises to collect personal property. The university also worked to ensure students living on campus had access to accommodations and food. UNLV’s counseling center offered crisis support for students having difficulties processing the terrifying event.
Authorities released the names of two of the victims, Cha Jan “Jerry” and Chang Patricia Navarro-Velez, adding that all four targets were UNLV professors. Police were still contacting family members of the third person who died as well as the individual in the hospital.
Motive Still Unknown
Officials believe the gunman was 67-year-old Anthony Polito, who lived in neighboring Henderson, Nevada. The assailant had applied to work as a professor at UNLV in 2020. He didn’t get the job, although no one could be sure whether that was a factor in his decision to come back years later to terrorize the school. Police reportedly searched Polito’s home, recovering his cellphone and several other electronic devices to aid in their investigation.
Las Vegas saw the country’s deadliest mass shooting to date six years earlier when 64-year-old Stephen Craig Paddock killed 59 people and injured 527 others at a concert at the Mandalay Bay casino hotel. The killer in that event took his own life in one of the hotel rooms as police closed in on him.
The investigation into the UNLV shooting remains active at this time.
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