Police provide more details on suspect in UNLV shooting; two victims identified as professors

LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - Authorities in Las Vegas are providing more details about a deadly shooting that occurred on campus at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Three people were killed and another person was seriously injured in the shooting that took place on the university’s campus at about 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday.

The suspect, identified by police as 67-year-old Anthony James Polito, was also killed after engaging in a shootout with members of campus police.

In a media conference, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Polito drove to campus armed with a Taurus 9 mm handgun along with 11 magazines. Nine loaded magazines were found on his person at the time he was shot and killed by university police.

Investigators say they located Polito’s 2007 Lexus, which he used to drive to UNLV. A camera onboard revealed that the suspect went to a Henderson Post Office earlier in the day. After combing through over 14,000 pieces of mail, police and postal investigators determined that Polito sent 22 letters with no return address to “university personnel across the country.”

McMahill added that investigators are still working to process the letters and don’t know the exact contents of each, but he noted that one of them contained a white, powdery substance inside.

“We’re still learning a lot about this suspect,” the sheriff observed. “And still trying to understand the motive.”

McMahill said that Polito had applied “numerous times” for jobs with institutions of higher education but that the suspect was “denied each time.”

WITN reported that Polito was previously a professor at East Carolina University. According to sources, Polito was a tenured associate professor since August 2001 until he resigned on Jan. 17, 2017.

The sheriff also said that a search of Polito’s residence resulted in finding ammunition consistent with that used in the shooting, as well as a clearly marked document “similar to a last will and testament.”

The Associated Press reported that electronic devices, including the suspect’s cellphone, were also confiscated during the search.

The victims

On Thursday, the Clark County Office of the Coroner released the names of two of the victims in the campus shooting.

Professor Cha Jan Chang, 64, known as “Jerry,” of Henderson, and Assistant Professor Patricia Navarro Velez, 39, of Las Vegas, were identified.

The coroner says both victims died of gunshot wounds to the head and their deaths were ruled as homicides

The third victim has been identified but the coroner’s office will not release the name until next of kin have been notified.

A surviving victim remains at Sunrise Hospital, in a condition that was reportedly downgraded to life-threatening.

The shooting’s aftermath

Some witnesses reported hearing as many as 20 shots fired during the shooting.

UNLV professor Kevaney Martin took cover under a desk in her classroom, where another faculty member and three students took shelter with her.

“It was terrifying. I can’t even begin to explain,” Martin said. “I was trying to hold it together for my students, and trying not to cry, but the emotions are something I never want to experience again.”

Martin said she was texting friends and loved ones, hoping to receive word a suspect had been detained. When another professor came to the room and told everyone to evacuate, they joined dozens of others rushing out of the building. Martin had her students pile into her car and drove them off campus.

“Once we got away from UNLV, we parked and sat in silence,” she said. “Nobody said a word. We were in utter shock.”

Selena Guevara said she got a phone call from her daughter, Markie Montoya, who was in class in the building and heard “gunshots, screaming and yelling” but wasn’t hurt.

“She’s hysterical, telling me ‘I love you’ and so scared,” Guevara said.

Another student, Jordan Eckermann, 25, said he was in his business law class in a second-floor classroom when he heard a loud bang and a piercing alarm went off, sending students to their feet. Some ran from the room in panic while others heeded their professor’s instructions to stay calm.

He walked out and locked eyes with a law enforcement officer in a bulletproof vest holding a long gun. Clothing, backpacks and water bottles lay scattered on the floor.

Eckerman said he mouthed to the officer, “Where do I go?”

The officer pointed to an exit.

Minutes later, when he was outside, Eckermann said he heard bursts of gunshots, totaling at least 20 rounds. The air smelled of gunpowder. He said he kept walking away from campus, even though he didn’t know where to go.

Classes were canceled through Friday at the university, and UNLV’s basketball game at the University of Dayton, Ohio, was canceled Wednesday night because of the shootings.

KVVU reports that all buildings, with the exception of Beam Hall (BEH) at the university, were reopened to students and faculty Thursday morning.

Support from the community

Professional sports teams located in Las Vegas all took to social media to extend their support following a Wednesday shooting on the UNLV campus that killed three victims and left another in critical condition.

“Our hearts are with the victims of today’s tragic events,” the Golden Knights wrote in a post on X.

“We are committed to helping our friends at UNLV and the greater Las Vegas community heal and are grateful for the efforts of our first responders,” the Raiders posted on X.

The WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces added that they are “heartbroken over today’s horrific shooting.”

The Las Vegas-bound Oakland A’s also released a statement on social media, saying “Our hearts are with all of those impacted by today’s tragic events at UNLV and the entire Las Vegas community during this incredibly difficult time. Our thanks and gratitude go out to the first responders who serve the greater Las Vegas community.”