UNLV shooting update: At least 3 killed, suspect identified
UNLV shooting: 3 killed, suspect identified (Getty Images)
A shooting incident on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus on Wednesday afternoon resulted in 3 dead, with one sustaining injuries. The suspect was killed in a shootout with two police detectives, he was a college professor, according to CBC News and ABC News.
Besides three fatalities, one person with a gunshot wound was transported to a nearby hospital and reported to be in stable condition. Four others were hospitalized because of panic attacks. Two police officers sustained minor injuries during the search of campus rooms and buildings for potential victims.
The shooting started on the fourth floor of the building that houses UNLV’s Lee Business School. The shooter went to several floors before he was killed in a shootout with two detectives outside the building, police said.
"No student should have to fear pursuing their dreams on a college campus," Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said, calling the incident "a heinous, unforgivable crime."
McMahill called Wednesday a "tragic day for all of us in Southern Nevada."
Who is the shooter
Law enforcement sources told ABC News the deceased suspect is Anthony Polito, 67. He had applied for a college professorship at UNLV but was not hired.
The police say they do not know the suspect's motive yet. The law enforcement officers are currently searching the suspect's apartment in Henderson, Nevada, trying to find any clues that might reveal the motivation behind the attack.
Recent findings indicate that the victims were not students but faculty or staff, leading detectives to consider that the rampage was not a random act but rather a targeted attack on certain people.
Biden reacts
U.S. President Joe Biden mentioned the shooting in a statement and called for measures to address "the epidemic of gun violence we face."
