Current:Home > MyUNLV shooting suspect dead after 3 killed on campus, Las Vegas police say-InfoLens
UNLV shooting suspect dead after 3 killed on campus, Las Vegas police say
View Date:2024-12-23 20:51:50
Three people were killed and one person was wounded in a shooting on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus Wednesday afternoon, police said. The suspect was killed by officers who rushed to the scene at UNLV and there was no ongoing threat to the community, police said later on Wednesday.
Two law enforcement sources told CBS News the gunman, who they described as a white male in his sixties, was a former college professor who had previously taught in Georgia and North Carolina.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said at a Wednesday evening news conference that police know the identity of the suspect but would not release his name until the families of the victims are notified. But CBS Las Vegas affiliate KLAS-TV reports that its sources identified him as Anthony "Tony" Polito. The sources said Polito recently applied for a job at the university but didn't get it. He may have also had a connection to a person who works on campus, KLAS sources said.
McMahill had said earlier in the day that police did not know the suspect's motive.
The first call about the active shooter came at about 11:45 a.m. local time, after which metropolitan and university police immediately responded, shooting and killing the suspect outside of Beam Hall, McMahill said. The shooting originated on the fourth floor of the building.
In addition to the three people killed, one person was taken to an area hospital with a gunshot wound. The person was in stable condition, McMahill said. Four other people were hospitalized after suffering panic attacks.
Two police officers received minor injuries while searching the campus's rooms and buildings for more victims, McMahill said.
McMahill said that, during the attack, there was a gathering outside Beam Hall that included people eating and building Lego sets together. He said there could have been many more deaths if responding officers had not "raced to the campus" within minutes and engaged in armed contact.
"No student should have to fear pursuing their dreams on a college campus," McMahill said, calling the incident "a heinous, unforgivable crime."
Sunrise Hospital Trauma Center confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that it had received three patients from the shooting, according to trauma medical director Chris Fisher.
A reunification center for families unable to contact their loved ones was opened at the campus's North Hall, Clark County Fire Chief John C. Steinbeck said at an afternoon news conference.
A federal law enforcement official told CBS News the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were responding and offering assistance with the investigation to the metropolitan police.
UNLV will remain closed for the week, and additional determinations will be made about whether it will reopen on Monday, university police chief Adam Garcia said at the evening news conference.
President Biden addressed the shooting in a statement Wednesday and called for measures to address "the epidemic of gun violence we face."
"Just hours ago, the University of Nevada at Las Vegas became the latest college campus to be terrorized by a horrific act of gun violence," Mr. Biden said in the statement, in which he also addressed shooting deaths in Austin and San Antonio, Texas.
"For all the action we have taken since I've been President, the epidemic of gun violence we face demands that we do even more. But we cannot do more without Congress," Mr. Biden wrote while urging Republican lawmakers to help pass an assault weapons ban and universal background checks, among other measures.
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman called the news "tragic and heartbreaking."
"Praying for everyone on campus as law enforcement responds to the situation," she wrote.
University president Brian Sandoval said this was "an unimaginably sad and shocking day for our entire state."
"We send our deepest sympathies and our thoughts are with the families of the multiple victims of this terrible tragedy. Today and in the days to come we are all Rebels," Sandoval wrote on social media.
Pat Milton and Andy Triay contributed reporting.
- In:
- Las Vegas Police
- Shooting
- Las Vegas
S. Dev is a news editor for CBSNews.com.
veryGood! (2696)
Related
- Channing Tatum Drops Shirtless Selfie After Zoë Kravitz Breakup
- California Restaurant Association says Berkeley to halt ban on natural gas piping in new buildings
- Fast wireless EV charging? It’s coming.
- Cook up a Storm With Sur La Table’s Unbelievable Cookware Sale: Shop Le, Creuset, Staub, All-Clad & More
- Elon Musk says 'SNL' is 'so mad' Trump won as he slams Dana Carvey's impression
- Iowa attorney general not finished with audit that’s holding up contraception money for rape victims
- Hop on Over to Old Navy, Where You Can Score 50% off During Their Easter Sale, With Deals Starting at $10
- Debunked: Aldi's bacon is not grown in a lab despite conspiracies on social media
- Fighting conspiracy theories with comedy? That’s what the Onion hopes after its purchase of Infowars
- Kansas moves to join Texas and other states in requiring porn sites to verify people’s ages
Ranking
- How Saturday Night Live Reacted to Donald Trump’s Win Over Kamala Harris
- Facebook pokes making a 2024 comeback: Here's what it means and how to poke your friends
- Geoengineering Faces a Wave of Backlash Over Regulatory Gaps and Unknown Risks
- Debunked: Aldi's bacon is not grown in a lab despite conspiracies on social media
- Real Housewives of New York City Star’s Pregnancy Reveal Is Not Who We Expected
- Kansas legislators pass a bill to require providers to ask patients why they want abortions
- Ex-Rhode Island official pays $5,000 to settle ethics fine
- Waiting on your tax refund? Here's why your return may be taking longer this year
Recommendation
-
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson weighs in on report that he would 'pee in a bottle' on set
-
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyer says rapper is innocent, calls home raids 'a witch hunt'
-
Children’s author Kouri Richins hit with new charges alleging earlier attempt to kill her husband
-
What Lamar Odom Would Say to Ex Khloe Kardashian Today
-
Jake Paul's only loss led him to retool the team preparing him to face Mike Tyson
-
In first, an Argentine court convicts ex-officers of crimes against trans women during dictatorship
-
Indictment accuses Rwandan man of lying about role in his country’s 1994 genocide to come to US
-
Judge tosses out X lawsuit against hate-speech researchers, saying Elon Musk tried to punish critics