Las Vegas, Nevada (AP) – In a tragic incident that shook the University of Nevada, Las Vegas community, new video footage has emerged of a deadly shootout that took place on campus last December. The footage, released on Thursday, reveals the harrowing moments when a campus police officer engaged in gunfire with a 67-year-old gunman, ultimately ending a violent rampage that claimed the lives of three professors at the university’s business school. The shooter, identified as a former business professor from North Carolina, had his teaching applications rejected by UNLV before carrying out the attack.
Authorities disclosed that the gunman, Anthony Polito, arrived heavily armed with over 150 rounds of ammunition and a list of targets – although the victims were reportedly not on that list. The violent episode unfolded on December 6, 2023, when Polito opened fire inside the building hosting UNLV’s Lee Business School, leaving a visiting professor critically injured in addition to the three fatalities. Law enforcement officials, shedding light on the investigation, revealed that Polito did not seem to be targeting students during the attack.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill noted that the swift response to the shooting was informed by lessons learned from past tragedies, including the 2017 mass shooting near the Las Vegas Strip. The gunman’s rampage, which spanned multiple floors of the university building, prompted a chaotic scene as terrified individuals sought shelter and safety. Students and faculty members shared chilling accounts of the ordeal, recounting moments of fear and uncertainty as they navigated the unfolding crisis.
UNLV professor Kevaney Martin described the terror that gripped her classroom as she and others sought refuge from the assailant. The campus was eventually cleared of any immediate threat following the confrontation between the shooter and law enforcement, but the repercussions of the traumatic event lingered among those directly impacted. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, took measures to cancel classes and a scheduled basketball game, prioritizing the safety and well-being of its students and staff in the aftermath of the tragedy.
As the community mourned the loss of lives and grappled with the repercussions of the senseless violence, questions surrounding the motive behind the attack and the factors contributing to such tragic incidents weighed heavily on the collective consciousness. The release of the surveillance footage shed light on the sequence of events that transpired during the shooting, offering a glimpse into the chaos and devastation wrought by the actions of a solitary individual with a deadly agenda. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, stood resilient in the face of adversity, rallying together to cope with the aftermath and support one another in healing from the trauma inflicted by the tragic events of that fateful day.