UNLV shooter identified as 67-year-old man who was rejected from teaching position

The investigation continues after an active shooter on campus at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas killed three people and injured one Wednesday afternoon. Officials have not yet identified the victims, but investigative sources told ABC they were all faculty or staff, not students.

The suspect was killed in a shootout with the police.

Anthony Polito, 67, identified as gunman

Dec. 7 at 12:34 p.m.

The suspected shooter, 67-year-old Anthony Polito, was armed with a handgun when he arrived on campus Wednesday, authorities told ABC. He died in a shootout with the police a little over half an hour after opening fire.

During his professional life, Polito worked as an assistant professor teaching supply chain management at East Carolina University from 2001 to 2017, NBC reported. In 2020, Polito applied to a professor position at UNLV but was rejected.

Polito received an MBA from Duke University in the early ’90s, and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in philosophy, according to ABC 11.

In entries on a personal website, Polito claimed he “decoded the Zodiac Killer’s messages,” per NBC. His LinkedIn said he was a “semi-retired university professor.” He wrote that the “greatest gifts and takeaways I possess from my many years within higher education are the many kind & positive comments students made regarding my instruction and disposition toward them.”

He opened fire on the fourth floor of UNLV’s business building, Beam Hall, at 11:45 a.m., and the all-clear was given by police authorities about 40 minutes later, per The Associated Press.

NBC quoted entries on Polito’s Rate My Professor page that have since been taken down, saying, “Dr. Polito’s class is one of my favorite classes that I have taken. He provides so many real-world examples with stories which further drive the understanding of concepts. This isn’t taught as a ‘typical’ class which is looked down on but I have learned so much and retained the concepts in this class than any other class I have taken.”

Others students described his classes less positively, calling him “eccentric” and labeling his teaching style “unorthodox” and “extremely disorganized.” NBC included a 2014 entry that claimed Polito spent half the semester “just talking about Vegas.”

Active shooter at UNLV dead, at least 3 injured

Dec 6, 2023 at 3:20pm

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police confirmed a suspect is dead Wednesday after a shooting on the University of Las Vegas campus.

The police and the university have not confirmed how many have been injured or killed, although LVMP Sheriff Kevin McMahill said, “Right now, we know there are 3 victims, but unknown extent of the injuries. That number could change. We will update you when we know more,” per an X post.

UMC hospital is “prepared to care for the victims of this tragic shooting” and will remain open to other patients and visitors, per an X post.

The university told students to seek “shelter-in-place” while police officers worked to clear buildings.

Reports of gunshots came from Beam Hall, where the business school is located, and the school’s student union. At 11:54 a.m. PST, UNLV sent out an emergency notification, saying university police were “responding to report of shots fire in BEH evacuate to a safe area, RUN-HIDE-FIGHT.”

Matthew Felsenfeld, a 21-year-old student studying journalism told Daily Progress that he and roughly 12 other students barricaded the door to their classroom.

“It’s the moment you call your parents and tell them you love them,” he said.

Another student described her experience hearing gun shots during class to a CNN reporter. She said, “Lots of cops on campus. They had guns, we all walked out of the building, hands up. They evacuated us out of the student union, and we walked past one of the windows that was shot through. There was glass everywhere. Glad that we’re safe now, though.”

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman posted to X, “Tragic and heartbreaking news coming out of @unlv. Praying for everyone on campus as law enforcement responds to the situation.”

Police closed I-15 northbound from Blue Diamond to Charleston for a time.

This is a developing story.