Law enforcement officials have confirmed that the mass shooter responsible for the incident at UNLV was 67-year-old Anthony Polito, a former professor who had applied unsuccessfully for a job at the school and had previously worked in both North Carolina and Georgia.
Credit: Anthony Polito / Linkedin
At 11:46 a.m. local time, reports indicated shots had been fired in Beam Hall and further reports of gunfire were reported at the Student Union.
Three victims of this tragedy were all faculty or staff members rather than students, appearing that the assailant may have known them personally.
The Las Vegas Metro Police Department (LVMPD) said a fourth person was taken to a local hospital where they are in critical but stable condition.
According to the New York Post, four other individuals were hospitalized after suffering panic attacks, and two officers were treated for minor injuries sustained while clearing buildings.
When news of the shooting broke out, LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill reported that UNLV campus was placed on lockdown almost immediately and police proceeded to evacuate students and staff from buildings “floor by floor, room by room”.
Subsequently, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department tweeted that the suspect had been declared deceased by 1:37 p.m. Sheriff Kevin McMahill attributed this outcome to the heroic efforts of one responding police officer,
He stated that “there could have been countless additional lives taken” without their intervention.
Authorities are currently conducting investigations into Polito’s home in Henderson, Nevada, as well as his electronic devices and professional writings, seeking more evidence of the motive behind the attack.
