There are reports that the gunman responsible for killing three people and wounding a fourth at the University of Las Vegas was a semi-retired college professor called Anthony Polito.
The 67-year-old Polito had allegedly applied for a professor position at UNLV but was unsuccessful.
The shooting began yesterday morning shortly before noon at an area near the University’s Lee Business School and student union.
The university was quickly placed on lockdown as students were urged to run, hide, or fight.
Three faculty and staff members were killed, and a fourth was taken to a hospital in critical condition, but they were soon stabilized.
The suspected gunman was shot dead at the scene by responding police officers. The suspect was armed with a pistol.
LVMPD warned that UNLV shooter could have caused greater loss of life
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a press conference that the prompt response of both on and off-duty cops from the LVMPD and campus officers helped prevent a greater loss of life.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelSheriff McMahill said there was a large number of students gathered nearby for an event with tables set up with food, drinks, and games.
None of the victims were students, which has led to some speculation that the suspect may have known his victims, meaning this may not have been a random mass shooting. However, the investigation is ongoing.
McMahill stressed, “If it hadn’t been for the heroic actions of one of those police officers who responded, there could have been countless additional lives taken. Armed confrontation of the suspect by law enforcement stopped the suspect’s further actions.
Who was Anthony Polito? Professor and suspected shooter was denied a job at UNLV
The police have not publicly identified the shooter, but ABC News reported that Anthony “Tony” Polito is the suspect; the outlet cited law enforcement officials as its source.
The deceased suspect previously worked as a business professor in North Carolina and Georgia. In recent years, he had grown fond of the Las Vegas area and had unsuccessfully applied for a job at UNLV.
Polito was reportedly a resident of Henderson, a suburb southeast of Las Vegas, where the police searched a home last night.
On his LinkedIn page, Polito has written, “The greatest gifts and takeaways I possess from my many years within higher education are the many kind & positive comments students made regarding my instruction and disposition toward them.”
The Daily Mail reports that Polito claimed to have decoded cryptic messages from the Zodiac killer who terrorized the San Francisco area in the late 1960s and early 1970s.