On Thursday, police revealed that the main suspect in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas shooting was equipped with over 150 rounds of ammunition. As reported by ABC News, the suspect, 67-year-old Anthony Polito, a former college professor, is believed to have used a legally purchased handgun to fatally shoot three individuals at UNLV’s Beam Hall.
Additionally, a fourth individual was critically injured in the shooting and is currently receiving life-saving treatment in the hospital.
The shooting suspect was later killed in an exchange of gunfire with the police, approximately 10 minutes after the initial reports of the incident.
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill shared on Thursday that authorities are investigating possible motives behind the shooting. It was noted that Polito had unsuccessfully applied for various positions at educational institutions within Nevada. He had also compiled a list of faculty members from schools in Nevada and East Carolina University in North Carolina, where he previously worked as a business school professor for 17 years.
Thankfully, none of the individuals on Polito’s list were harmed in the incident, as confirmed by McMahill.
Keith E. Whitfield, the President of UNLV, identified two of the deceased victims as business school professors Patricia Navarro-Velez and Cha Jan Chang. The identity of the third victim will be disclosed following notification of their family.
Prior to the attack, the suspect reportedly visited a post office in Henderson and mailed 22 letters to university staff nationwide, all without a return address. While 22 of these letters have been intercepted, there is a possibility that more letters are in circulation.
Sheriff McMahill urged caution to those in the education sector who might receive unaddressed, taped letters, advising them to contact local authorities immediately.
