Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has released extensive footage capturing their response to a tragic shooting incident at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) earlier this month. The video reveals the split-second moment when two responding officers unknowingly direct the shooter outside the building. In the footage, the officers, with their guns drawn, rush up a flight of stairs in search of the suspect and victims. At one point, one of the officers instructs someone on the ground floor to exit while pointing towards the exit. The shooter, later identified as 67-year-old Anthony Polito, briefly appears in the video wearing a long black trench coat. No indication of him being the shooter or possessing a weapon is evident.
Clark County Undersheriff Andrew Walsh explained that the officers did not have a description of the shooter and were unaware that they had encountered him inside the building. It is important to note that other police resources were present on the first floor. About a minute later, Polito exited the building, brandishing his weapon, and engaged in a shootout with university police officers, resulting in his death. Fortunately, no one outside the building was harmed.
Although the motive for the shooting has not been specified by the police, it has been revealed that Polito was facing financial difficulties and had been rejected for a teaching position at UNLV and other Nevada schools. Polito had previously held a tenured post at East Carolina University for over 15 years before leaving in 2017.
The tragic incident claimed the lives of three UNLV professors: Naoko Takemaru, 69, an associate professor of Japanese studies and author; Cha Jan “Jerry” Chang, 64, an associate professor in the business school’s Management, Entrepreneurship & Technology department; and Patricia Navarro Velez, 39, an accounting professor specializing in cybersecurity disclosures and data analytics. The wounded victim, a 38-year-old visiting professor, remains unidentified.
As investigations continue, the motive behind the shooting and any potential warning signs leading up to the incident will be closely examined. The Las Vegas community mourns the loss of these esteemed educators, and the university is working to provide support to students and staff affected by this tragedy.
