Three Faculty Members Killed in Deadly Shooting at University of Las Vegas, Nevada: Anthony Polito Identified as Suspect

Accident – death – Obituary News : LAS VEGAS — The University of Las Vegas, Nevada, was shaken on Wednesday when a gunman opened fire on campus, killing three faculty members and injuring another before being shot dead by police. The suspect, identified as Anthony Polito, a longtime business professor, had a list of targets at the school and at East Carolina University in North Carolina, according to authorities.

The shooting took place in the Lee Business School, where faculty and staff offices for the accounting and marketing departments are located. Terrified students and professors hid in classrooms and dorms as the gunman roamed the building, unleashing chaos and destruction.

University officials have identified two of the victims as business school professors Patricia Navarro-Velez and Cha Jan “Jerry” Chang. Navarro-Velez, 39, was an accounting professor known for her research in cybersecurity disclosures and data analytics. Chang, 64, was an associate professor in the Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology department and had been teaching at UNLV since 2001.

Authorities have revealed that the gunman had mailed 22 letters to faculty members across the United States before the shooting. The contents of these letters remain unknown at this time. Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill confirmed that everyone on the suspect’s list, except for one person who was on a flight, has been contacted by the police. Fortunately, none of the individuals on the target list became victims.

While the motive behind the shooting is yet to be determined, investigators have discovered that Polito had applied for several jobs at colleges and universities in Nevada but was repeatedly denied employment. McMahill stated that they are still looking into the motive but emphasized Polito’s repeated job rejections as a possible factor.

The wounded individual, a visiting professor, is currently in critical condition, as stated by the police. The UNLV community is grieving over the loss of three esteemed faculty members and grappling with the aftermath of this tragic event. President Keith E. Whitfield described the shooting as “the most difficult day in the history of our university.”

Las Vegas authorities have been working tirelessly to ensure the safety of the campus and its students. The incident has brought back painful memories for the city, which experienced the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history in 2017. Authorities have credited the lessons learned from that incident for their seamless response to the UNLV attack.

The investigation has led authorities to search Polito’s apartment in nearby Henderson, Nevada, where they retrieved several electronic devices, including his cellphone. Polito had previously worked at East Carolina University’s Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management from 2001 to 2017. One of his former students, Paul Whittington, described Polito as fixated on the city of Las Vegas and obsessed with anonymous student reviews.

In the wake of the shooting, classes at UNLV have been canceled through Friday. Additionally, the university’s basketball game and the events scheduled for Thursday night at the Thomas & Mack Center have been canceled. The community is coming together to support one another during this difficult time, as they begin to heal from this senseless act of violence..