UNLV shooter was denied 4 positions at school before Las Vegas mass shooting

David Charns
·2 min read
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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The gunman who killed three UNLV professors earlier this month had applied to four positions at the university but was not interviewed for any, a school spokesperson said Friday, confirming the 8 News Now Investigators’ earlier reporting.

A university police officer shot and killed Anthony Polito, 67, about 10 minutes into the shooting on the Las Vegas campus on Dec. 6. Polito shot and killed Lee Business School professors Dr. Jerry Cha-Jan Chang, Dr. Patricia Navarro Velez, and College of Liberal Arts professor Dr. Naoko Takemaru. A fourth professor was hurt.

In 2019, Polito applied to three assistant professorships in the schools of hospitality and public health and the UNLV Academic Success Center. He also applied for a lecturer position in the business school’s marketing department, a spokesperson said.

“None of the applications advanced beyond the initial review process, and he was not interviewed for any recruitment,” the spokesperson said.

Polito’s online presence depicted him as a scholar. His website listed his resume and educational achievements, including an MBA from Duke University and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.

The University of Northern Iowa confirmed Polito was a temporary instructor from 2000 to 2001. The University of Georgia confirmed Polito taught courses during his graduate studies in 2002.

His longest position was an assistant professor in the College of Business at East Carolina University. A representative confirmed Polito began in 2001 and resigned in 2017 as a tenured associate professor.

His most recent work was at Roseman University in Henderson, according to the school, where he was an adjunct faculty member for the Master of Business Administration program both online and in person.

Polito wrote about his enjoyment of teaching on his LinkedIn page, “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.”

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