UNLV suspect shot dead after 3 killed on campus, Las Vegas police say

Three people were killed and one was injured 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 Wednesday.

Two law enforcement sources told CBS News that the gunman, who they described as a white man 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 news conference Wednesday evening that police know the identity of the suspect but would not release his name until the families are notified of the victims. But CBS Las Vegas affiliate KLAS-TV reports that his sources identified him as Anthony “Tony” Polito. Sources said Polito recently applied for a job at the university but did not get it. He may also have had a connection with someone who works on campus, KLAS sources said.

McMahill previously said police did not know the suspect's motive.

The first call about the active shooter came in around 11:45 a.m. local time, after which metropolitan and university police responded immediately, shooting and killing the suspect outside Beam Hall, McMahill said. The shooting originated on the fourth floor of the building.

In addition to the three dead, 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 as they searched campus 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 “run onto the campus” within minutes and had not had armed contact.

“No student should be afraid to pursue their dreams on a college campus,” McMahill said, calling the incident “a heinous and unforgivable crime.”

Sunrise Hospital Trauma Center confirmed 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 has opened in North Hall on campus, Clark County Fire Chief John C. Steinbeck said at an afternoon press conference .

A federal law enforcement official told CBS News that 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 further determinations will be made on whether to reopen Monday, university police chief Adam Garcia said at an afternoon news conference.

President Biden addressed the shooting in a statement Wednesday, calling for action to address “the epidemic of gun violence we face.”

“Just hours ago, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas became the latest college campus to be terrorized by a horrific act of gun violence,” Biden said in the statement, which he also addressed. shooting deaths in Austin and San Antonio, Texas.

“For all the actions we've taken since I've been president, the epidemic of gun violence we face demands that we do even more. But we can't do more without Congress,” Biden wrote as he urged lawmakers Republicans to help pass a deal. ban on assault weapons 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,” he wrote.

University President Brian Sandoval said this was “an unimaginably sad and shocking day for our entire state.”

“We send our deepest condolences and our thoughts are with the families of the multiple victims of this terrible tragedy. Today and in the coming days we are all rebels,” Sandoval wrote on social media.

Pat Milton and Andy Triay contributed to the report.