LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Three people are dead and another person is hospitalized after a gunman opened fire in a building on the UNLV campus Wednesday morning, authorities said. The suspect, identified by news outlets as a 67-year-old college professor, is also dead.
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said that at about 11:45 a.m., Las Vegas Metropolitan Police responded after getting reports of an active shooter on campus.
University and LVMPD officers responded and found the suspect outside of Beam Hall, McMahill said. Adam Garcia, director of University Police Services, said two detectives got into a shootout with the gunman, who was struck and killed.
NBC News and CNN, citing law enforcement sources, identified the suspect as Anthony Polito, a 67-year-old career college professor whose connection to UNLV is unknown at this time.
According to reports from The Associated Press, the shooter was a professor who previously worked at East Carolina University in North Carolina and unsuccessfully sought a job at UNLV. NBC News reported Thursday that he did not apply for the job recently.
Authorities have not officially identified the shooter or discussed a motive for the shooting as of Thursday morning.
Three people were confirmed to have been killed in the shooting, McMahill said. Their names have not been released.
An additional victim was transported to a hospital in critical condition and later upgraded to stable condition, the sheriff said. Four other victims were being treated for panic attacks, and two officers suffered minor injuries while searching the university.
UNLV was immediately closed in response to the shooting and will remain closed throughout the week, Garcia said. Further discussions will take place to determine if it will reopen next week, which is when finals are scheduled.
A reunification center has been established for those looking for a loved one who was on campus during the shooting.
The Family Reunification Center is located at the Convention Center, North Hall 1 & 2.
Family members and loved ones can also call 702-455-AIDE (2433) orfacofsouthernnevada.orgfor more information.
"This puts a gloom on the campus," a student told KSNV at the scene. "Now, we have to try to fight back from this and it's just sad."
He went on to say he and others sheltered in place and barricaded themselves in a room.
"We were told the shooter was in the Student Union section -- that's literally one building over from us, so we were nervous."
He said he looked out a window and saw students running outside with their hands up. He said everyone was scared.
Other students shared similar emotions.
"We were in the student union on the second floor and we heard there was an active shooter," one student told CNN, adding that she and others evacuated the building.
"We could hear the gunshots," another student told the media outlet.
The Nevada System of Higher Education says its institutions in Clark County are closed for the rest of Wednesday. This includes: UNLV, CSN, Nevada State University and Desert Research Institute.
School at UNLV is canceled for the rest of the week. No resume date has been available.
Additionally, the Clark County School District says that all district-sponsored athletic events scheduled for Wednesday have been canceled.
Las Vegas police closed down I-15 northbound from Blue Diamond to Charleston Boulevard for a short period as first responders headed to the scene.
President Joe Biden has released a statement about this that read in part:
Jill and I join citizens across our nation in praying for the families of our fallen, and for those who were injured during these latest acts of senseless violence. We are also grateful for the courageous work of law enforcement—who risked their own safety to bring an end to these deadly shooting sprees.ncG1vNJzZmihlJa1sLrEsKpnm5%2BifK%2Bx1qxmp5mknryvedaoqaWcX6GutHnVnp6aq12lvK21wp5kq52jpbyvsIytpmaqlaW8s8DSZqafZZGYwarCxGaqoaefqbKzec6nZK6mnKt6pK3Mqays