3 UNLV faculty members were killed in the Las Vegas campus shooting
University of Nevada, Las Vegas professors Naoko Takemaru (left), Cha-Jan "Jerry" Chang and Patricia Navarro-Velez were killed during a shooting on campus on Wednesday. Takemaru oversaw UNLV's Japanese Studies program while Chang and Navarro-Velez were both professors in the business school.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
A gunman who opened fire at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Wednesday killed three faculty members and left one injured, the university said.
On Thursday, the university two of the victims as , 39, of Las Vegas and , 64, of Henderson, Nev. — both professors in the business school. On Friday, the Clark County coroner's office the third person killed: , 69, of Las Vegas, who oversaw UNLV's Japanese Studies program.
UNLV said another faculty member, who was not identified, remains hospitalized.
At a news conference Thursday, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill identified the shooting suspect as 67-year-old Anthony Polito.
anthony-polito-mo-20231207_1701956516067_hpMain.jpg
McMahill told reporters that officials had been able to search Polito's car and house but haven't pinned down the motive for the shooting.
"I want to stress that we're still learning a lot about this suspect and still trying to understand the motive," McMahill said. "We know he applied numerous times for a job with several Nevada higher education institutions and was denied each time."
McMahill added that Polito had a list of people he was seeking on the UNLV campus, as well as faculty from East Carolina University, where he had once worked.
The sheriff told reporters that police had contacted all the individuals on that list to make sure they were OK, with the exception of one individual who was on an international flight.
Before the shooting, Polito had sent letters to various UNLV personnel across the country with no return address, McMahill said.
He told reporters that law enforcement officials still do not know the content of all the letters, but he said that at least one of them had an "unknown white powder substance" in it. Police on X (formerly Twitter) that the powder was found to be harmless.
McMahill urged that if anybody in the education sector receives a letter with no return address that is taped, they should proceed with caution and contact their local authorities.
The Associated Press that Polito, who was killed in a shootout with law enforcement, did not appear to be targeting students, according to two law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the investigation.
"What students, employees, and campus visitors endured yesterday during the shooting and the tense aftermath is life-changing," Whitfield said in a statement.
Story continues
University of Nevada, Las Vegas professors Naoko Takemaru (left), Cha-Jan "Jerry" Chang and Patricia Navarro-Velez were killed during a shooting on campus on Wednesday. Takemaru oversaw UNLV's Japanese Studies program while Chang and Navarro-Velez were both professors in the business school.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
A gunman who opened fire at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Wednesday killed three faculty members and left one injured, the university said.
On Thursday, the university two of the victims as , 39, of Las Vegas and , 64, of Henderson, Nev. — both professors in the business school. On Friday, the Clark County coroner's office the third person killed: , 69, of Las Vegas, who oversaw UNLV's Japanese Studies program.
UNLV said another faculty member, who was not identified, remains hospitalized.
At a news conference Thursday, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill identified the shooting suspect as 67-year-old Anthony Polito.
anthony-polito-mo-20231207_1701956516067_hpMain.jpg
McMahill told reporters that officials had been able to search Polito's car and house but haven't pinned down the motive for the shooting.
"I want to stress that we're still learning a lot about this suspect and still trying to understand the motive," McMahill said. "We know he applied numerous times for a job with several Nevada higher education institutions and was denied each time."
McMahill added that Polito had a list of people he was seeking on the UNLV campus, as well as faculty from East Carolina University, where he had once worked.
The sheriff told reporters that police had contacted all the individuals on that list to make sure they were OK, with the exception of one individual who was on an international flight.
Before the shooting, Polito had sent letters to various UNLV personnel across the country with no return address, McMahill said.
He told reporters that law enforcement officials still do not know the content of all the letters, but he said that at least one of them had an "unknown white powder substance" in it. Police on X (formerly Twitter) that the powder was found to be harmless.
McMahill urged that if anybody in the education sector receives a letter with no return address that is taped, they should proceed with caution and contact their local authorities.
The Associated Press that Polito, who was killed in a shootout with law enforcement, did not appear to be targeting students, according to two law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the investigation.
"What students, employees, and campus visitors endured yesterday during the shooting and the tense aftermath is life-changing," Whitfield said in a statement.
Story continues