2023 University of Nevada, Las Vegas shooting explained

University of Nevada, Las Vegas shooting
Location:University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
Time: 11:45 a.m. - 11:55 a.m. PST
Type:School shooting, mass shooting, shootout
Weapon:9mm Taurus PT92 semi-automatic pistol[1]
Fatalities:4 (teachers and perpetrator)
Injuries:3 (teacher, student, and officer)
Perpetrator:Anthony James Polito
Motive:Job rejection from UNLV

On December 6, 2023, a shooting occurred at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Three people were killed, and three additional people were wounded. Two of the wounded were police officers. The perpetrator was killed in a shootout with police.

Background

The Frank and Estella Beam Hall is one of UNLV's instructional buildings and the primary building for the Lee Business School.[2] The shooting occurred about 3miles from the Mandalay Bay casino, which six years earlier was the site of the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.[3]

Shooting

The shooter, Tony Polito, arrived at the UNLV campus at around 11:30 a.m. PST and was armed with a legally purchased Taurus 9mm handgun and 11 loaded magazines.[4] Fifteen minutes later, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department received a call about a shooter in the Frank and Estella Beam Hall.[5] Officers reportedly entered the hall after about a minute from the first 911 call. The shooter reportedly started on the fourth floor of the hall and made his way down several other floors. A witness in the hall said that he and others were confused after an alarm went off in the building, but evacuated after hearing someone scream "there's a gun".[6]

Eight minutes later, UNLV posted a Twitter message that police were responding to reports of gunshots, warning students at the Beam Hall to "evacuate to a safe area." Approximately twenty minutes later, the university reported additional gunshots at the Student Union building.[7]

At around 11:55 a.m., Polito exited the building, and was killed in a shootout with police.[8] [9]

Victims

Three faculty members were killed and another faculty member was wounded during the shooting.[10] [11] Two of those killed were faculty members at the Lee Business School: Patricia Navarro-Velez, Accounting Professor, aged 39, and Cha Jan (Jerry) Chang, MIS Professor, aged 64. The third victim, Naoko Takemaru, aged 69, was an associate professor of Japanese Studies at UNLV's College of Liberal Arts.[12]

The wounded faculty member was identified as a 38-year-old visiting professor who sustained critical injuries. Their condition was downgraded to "life threatening" the day after the attack. Two police officers sustained minor wounds during a shootout with the perpetrator.[13] Some people were also treated after suffering panic attacks.[14]

Perpetrator

Anthony James Polito (c. 1956 – December 6, 2023) was identified as the shooter. He was raised in North Carolina and had served as a tenured associate professor of business at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina from 2001 to 2017. Afterward, Polito moved to Nevada where he served later on as an adjunct professor of business at Roseman University of Health Sciences in Henderson, Nevada from 2018 to 2022. He had applied to be a professor at various schools throughout Nevada, including UNLV, but all his applications were unsuccessful.[15] According to his former employers, Polito resigned from East Carolina University as a tenured associate professor, and lost his job at Roseman when the school discontinued the Master of Business Administration program in which he taught.[16] In his CV, Polito listed another stint with East Carolina University (1992–1994), as well as five years with the University of Georgia (1994–1999), two years with the University of Northern Iowa from (1999–2001), and a semester with Brenau University (1999), all working as a professor of business.[17]

Polito maintained a "target list" of people against whom he was seeking retribution, including colleagues from his former employer, East Carolina University. Police confirmed that none of the victims of the shooting were on the "target list".[18]

Past students at East Carolina claimed that he fixated on negative reviews by students on the website Rate My Professors and would claim to know who they were and point out specific seats in the classroom. Polito was very active on social media, with online writings showing an interest in Las Vegas, the state of Nevada and conspiracy theories. He posted on his personal website conspiracy theories focusing on Powerful Organizations Bent on Global Domination, with the Trilateral Commission being an example of one such organization. He was a member of the high-IQ society Mensa International.

Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting local police. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, University Police Services, the United States Marshals Service, and the FBI investigated the shooting.[19] An investigation of his apartment found ammunition and an eviction notice, and removed several computers and hard drive components. About two dozen letters were identified as mailed by Polito shortly before the shooting to multiple university personnel across the country. Some of the letters were identified as containing harmless white powder, such as talc.[20] [21]

Aftermath

UNLV established a reunification center in the north hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center[22] and an emergency hotline.[23] Administrators canceled classes for the rest of the week after the shooting and began a conversation about how to proceed with finals that had been set to start the week after the shooting. By December 8, UNLV President Keith Whitfield had announced that in-person classes for the rest of 2023 and the semester finals were canceled, due to the physical and emotional trauma that the campus had suffered.[24]

The College of Southern Nevada closed its campuses.[25] Interstate 15 was closed to allow access for first responders.[26] The UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball game against the Dayton Flyers was canceled.[27] A ground stop was issued at nearby Harry Reid International Airport due to a security incident.[28]

Reactions

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that the federal government was monitoring the shooting. President Joe Biden was previously scheduled to visit Las Vegas days later.[29] The Mayor of Las Vegas, Carolyn Goodman, called the shooting "tragic and heartbreaking" in a tweet, stating that she was "praying for everyone on campus as law enforcement responds to the situation."[30] Senators Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto urged constituents to avoid the area.[31]

The president of the American Association of University Professors, Irene Mulvey, issued a statement mourning the victims who died in "senseless violence", and calling for gun reform. This statement was echoed by the president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, as well as the Nevada Faculty Alliance. They decried the violence and called for gun reform.

On the day of the shooting, the Vegas Golden Knights stood in a moment of silence prior to their game against the St. Louis Blues at T-Mobile Arena. Four days following the shooting, the Golden Knights honored the victims of the shooting in a ceremony prior to their game against the San Jose Sharks. The Golden Knights wore special T-shirts during walk-ins to honor the victims, as well as their families. The team also wore special helmet decals during the game, and offered a moment of silence.[32]

Due to the shooting, the National Finals Rodeo cancelled the event's kickoff scheduled for December 7, 2023, and participated in a moment of silence on December 8, 2023.[33]

The Las Vegas Raiders observed a moment of silence prior to kickoff during a game against the Minnesota Vikings on December 10, 2023. Maxx Crosby carried a UNLV flag to the midfield to fly next to the flag of the United States of America.[34]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Gorman . Steve . Las Vegas campus gunman described as struggling academic with 'target list' . Reuters . December 8, 2023.
  2. News: Beam Hall is one of the campus' primary classroom buildings . December 6, 2023 . Li . David . . December 6, 2023 . December 14, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231214092919/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/unlv-shooting-las-vegas-live-updates-rcna128402/rcrd27350?canonicalCard=true . live .
  3. News: Hughes . Trevor . Carless . Will . Nguyen . Thao . December 7, 2023 . Tears, frantic texts: Survivors of Las Vegas campus shooting recount trauma and tragedy . December 7, 2023 . USA TODAY . December 14, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231214092922/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/12/07/university-of-nevada-las-vegas-campus-shooting-community/71832667007/ . live .
  4. News: Roberts . Alyssa . December 7, 2023 . Sheriff: UNLV gunman had list of targets, brought handgun and 11 magazines to campus . December 8, 2023 . Channel 13 Las Vegas News KTNV . December 14, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231214092922/https://www.ktnv.com/news/unlv-gunman-had-list-of-targets-brought-handgun-11-mags-to-campus . live .
  5. News: Shooter Injures 3 at U.N.L.V., Then Dies After Confrontation With Police . December 6, 2023 . Jiménez . Jesus . . December 6, 2023 . December 6, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231206204649/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/06/us/unlv-campus-shooting.html . live .
  6. News: Lee . Jaclyn . December 7, 2023 . 'Oh God, this is real': UNLV student describes being at 'ground zero' of campus shooting . December 7, 2023 . ABC News . December 14, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231214092923/https://abcnews.go.com/US/god-real-unlv-student-describes-ground-zero-campus/story?id=105450575 . live .
  7. News: UNLV shooting: Police respond to active shooting on Las Vegas campus . December 6, 2023 . Yousif . Nadine . . December 6, 2023 . December 6, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231206205433/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67642512 . live .
  8. News: Las Vegas police say the suspect has died . December 6, 2023 . Cohen . Rebecca . Blankstein . Andrew . . December 6, 2023 . December 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207024230/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/unlv-shooting-las-vegas-live-updates-rcna128402/rcrd27346?canonicalCard=true . live .
  9. News: Bleakley . Caroline . Overton . Stephanie . December 6, 2023 . 3 dead, 1 in stable condition after shooting on UNLV campus, suspect dead . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20231206214105/https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/unlv-police-report-shots-fired-on-campus/ . December 6, 2023 . December 6, 2023 . KLAS.
  10. News: Margolin . Josh . Shapiro . Emily . Pereira . Ivan . December 6, 2023 . UNLV shooting: At least 3 fatalities: Source . live . December 6, 2023 . ABC News . December 6, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231206211743/https://abcnews.go.com/US/police-responding-active-shooter-university-nevada-las-vegas/story?id=105433557 .
  11. News: Yamat . Rio . Finley . Ben . December 7, 2023 . All UNLV shooting victims were faculty members, university says . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20231214092922/https://www.kcra.com/article/unlv-shooting-victims/46067615 . December 14, 2023 . December 8, 2023 . KCRA . Associated Press.
  12. News: All three victims of campus shooting identified as UNLV professors. December 7, 2023. KTNV-TV. December 8, 2023. December 8, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231208205716/https://www.ktnv.com/news/two-of-three-victims-of-unlv-shooting-identified-by-clark-county-coroner. live.
  13. News: Hammond . Elise . Vogt . Adrienne . Powell . Tori B. . Vera . Amir . December 6, 2023 . Victims have been transported to local hospitals, police say . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207025436/https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/unlv-shooting-12-06-23/h_39724bb8484e71ecef7cc0f3990f6505 . December 7, 2023 . December 6, 2023 . CNN.
  14. News: Sunrise Hospital Trauma Center received 1 patient from UNLV shooting . December 6, 2023 . Byon . Irene . Cohen . Rebecca . . December 6, 2023 . December 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207025435/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/unlv-shooting-las-vegas-live-updates-rcna128402/rcrd27378?canonicalCard=true . live .
  15. News: Finley . Ken . Yamat . Rio . December 7, 2023 . UNLV gunman had list of targets at the university and 150 rounds of ammunition, police say . December 7, 2023 . AP News . December 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207171457/https://apnews.com/article/campus-shooting-las-vegas-unlv-0b12656a801e227d6aa2b9ccee56d9f6 . live .
  16. News: What we know about Anthony Polito, the deceased UNLV gunman. December 6, 2023. Justine. Verastigue. KTNV-TV. December 8, 2023. December 7, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231207231753/https://www.ktnv.com/news/what-we-know-about-the-deceased-unlv-gunman-abc-news-reports. live.
  17. Web site: December 11, 2023 . Tony Polito's Curriculum vitae . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20231208205039/https://www.tonypolito.com/vit_cv.pdf . December 8, 2023 . December 11, 2023.
  18. News: Yamat . Rio . Finley . Ben . December 7, 2023 . UNLV gunman had list of targets at the university and 150 rounds of ammunition, police say . December 9, 2023 . AP News . December 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207171457/https://apnews.com/article/campus-shooting-las-vegas-unlv-0b12656a801e227d6aa2b9ccee56d9f6 . live .
  19. News: Las Vegas Metro Police and University Police Services handling shooting investigation . December 6, 2023 . Cohen . Rebecca . . December 6, 2023 . December 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207024205/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/unlv-shooting-las-vegas-live-updates-rcna128402/rcrd27357?canonicalCard=true . live .
  20. News: Wolfe . Elizabeth . Romine . Taylor . Croft . Jay . December 8, 2023 . Details emerge about UNLV gunman who killed 3 faculty members as investigators search for his motive. Here's what we know . December 8, 2023 . CNN . December 14, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231214092921/https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/08/us/university-of-nevada-las-vegas-shooting-friday/index.html . live .
  21. News: Deliso . Meredith . Stone . Alex . Starr . Alyssa . December 8, 2023 . Suspect in UNLV shooting had more than 150 rounds of ammunition: Police . December 11, 2023 . . December 11, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231211114004/https://abcnews.go.com/US/suspect-unlv-shooting-150-rounds-ammunition/story?id=105478841 . live .
  22. News: UNLV setting up reunification center for students . December 6, 2023 . Cohen . Rebecca . Li . David . . December 6, 2023 . December 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207024242/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/unlv-shooting-las-vegas-live-updates-rcna128402/rcrd27371?canonicalCard=true . live .
  23. News: Emergency hotline set up after UNLV shooting . December 6, 2023 . Arkin . Daniel . . December 6, 2023 . December 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207024205/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/unlv-shooting-las-vegas-live-updates-rcna128402/rcrd27376?canonicalCard=true . live .
  24. News: Shermele . Zachary . Nurse . Krystal . Collins . Michael . Arshad . Minnah . December 8, 2023 . Third victim ID'd in UNLV shooting as college professors decry 'national menace' . December 9, 2023 . USA TODAY . December 9, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231209165845/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/12/08/unlv-shooting-las-vegas-what-we-know/71852211007/ . live .
  25. News: College of Southern Nevada closes campuses . December 6, 2023 . Cohen . Rebecca . . December 6, 2023 . December 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207024230/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/unlv-shooting-las-vegas-live-updates-rcna128402/rcrd27362?canonicalCard=true . live .
  26. News: I-15 North is closed for first responders, officials say . December 6, 2023 . Cohen . Rebecca . . December 6, 2023 . December 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207024200/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/unlv-shooting-las-vegas-live-updates-rcna128402/rcrd27360?canonicalCard=true . live .
  27. News: UNLV men's basketball game at Dayton called off . December 6, 2023 . Li . David . . December 6, 2023 . December 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207024157/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/unlv-shooting-las-vegas-live-updates-rcna128402/rcrd27382?canonicalCard=true . live .
  28. News: Ground stop at Harry Reid International Airport . December 6, 2023 . Cohen . Rebecca . . December 6, 2023 . December 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207025439/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/unlv-shooting-las-vegas-live-updates-rcna128402/rcrd27349?canonicalCard=true . live .
  29. News: White House monitoring shooting at UNLV . December 6, 2023 . Waldenberg . Samantha . . December 6, 2023 . December 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207024703/https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/unlv-shooting-12-06-23/h_0790e8e93ce9f5564b614d0eef09fcf7 . live .
  30. News: Smart . Sara . Hammond . Elise . December 6, 2023 . Local officials react to "tragic and heartbreaking" shooting on university campus . live . December 6, 2023 . CNN . December 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207024733/https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/unlv-shooting-12-06-23/h_dc110c69b7e270fb85a36b319079b2ad .
  31. News: Nevada senators in contact with law enforcement about campus shooting . December 6, 2023 . Cohen . Rebecca . . December 6, 2023 . December 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207024200/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/unlv-shooting-las-vegas-live-updates-rcna128402/rcrd27360?canonicalCard=true . live .
  32. Web site: Detwiler . Christopher . December 10, 2023 . Golden Knights honor victims of UNLV shooting with pregame ceremony . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231214093427/https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/short-shifts/vegas-golden-knights-honor-victims-of-unlv-shooting . December 14, 2023 . December 12, 2023 . National Hockey League.
  33. News: Velotta . Richard N. . December 8, 2023 . Visitors understanding of NFR setback resulting from UNLV tragedy . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240101181120/https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/rodeo/national-finals-rodeo/visitors-understanding-of-nfr-setback-resulting-from-unlv-tragedy-2961413/ . January 1, 2024 . December 15, 2023 . Las Vegas Review-Journal.
  34. News: Hill . Adam . December 10, 2023 . Raiders report: AJ Cole's record-setting performance not enough . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231216050344/https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/raiders/raiders-report-aj-coles-record-setting-performance-not-enough-2963372/ . December 16, 2023 . December 15, 2023 . Las Vegas Review-Journal.

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