UNLV cancels finals after campus shooting
Three faculty members killed in shooting at university in Las Vegas, with a fourth seriously injured
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The third victim who was killed in Wednesday’s shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has been named as Dr Naoko Takemaru.
Dr Takemaru was named after her next of kin were informed by the coroner’s office, UNLV president Keith Whitfield said in a statement.
“With sadness, I write to you to mourn the tragic passing of Dr Naoko Takemaru, who this morning was confirmed to be among the three UNLV faculty members who lost their lives during Wednesday’s shooting,” Mr Whitfield said.
The first two victims of the shooting were identified as professor Cha Jan Chang, 64, known as “Jerry,” and assistant professor Patricia Navarro Velez, 39, of Las Vegas, on Thursday.
It comes after Las Vegas police released new video purportedly showing suspect Anthony Polito moments after his shooting rampage at the University of Nevada‘s Las Vegas campus.
The footage emerged after investigators revealed that 67-year-old Polito had a “target list” - but none of his alleged victims were on it.
Police previously confirmed that Polito was a career college professor who had applied for – but failed to be accepted for – a job at UNLV.
Polito previously worked as a professor at colleges in Georgia and North Carolina, and kept a personal website where he proudly documented his academic achievements – and claimed to have solved the Zodiac Killer case.
According to police, he had a previous criminal history of computer trespass out of Virginia in 1992.
On the day of the shooting Polito was armed with a Taurus nine-millimeter handgun, which had been purchased legally in 2022. He had brought 11 magazines to the scene with him. Nine loaded magazines were found on his person.
Watch: LeBron James reacts to UNLV shooting, calling inaction on gun control ‘ridiculous’
‘Shooter may have intended to fire on student union’
It’s unclear how many shots Anthony Polito fired, but the sheriff said he brought more than 150 rounds of ammunition with him.
Given that number of rounds, Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Polito may have intended to fire on the student union next to the business school, where students were gathered, eating and playing games.
Polito also was carrying what McMahill described as a “target list” of faculty members both from UNLV and from East Carolina University in North Carolina, where Polito taught at the business school from 2001 to 2017.
He resigned from East Carolina as a tenured associate professor, the university said.
Polito ‘obsessive about anonymous student reviews’
Gunman Anthony Polito’s employment record at East Carolina did not include any disciplinary actions or red flags, according to a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation.
He had lived in the Las Vegas area since at least 2018.
Roseman University of Health Sciences in Henderson, Nevada, said Polito had an adjunct faculty contract and taught two courses in the school’s Master of Business Administration programme from October 2018 to June 2022. He left when the programme was discontinued, said Jason Roth, a school spokesperson.
A former student at East Carolina, Paul Whittington, said Polito often talked about his regular trips to Las Vegas. He also seemed obsessive about anonymous student reviews, Mr Whittington said.
“He always talked about the negative feedback he got,” said Mr Whittington, now 33, who took an introductory course in operations management with Polito in 2014.
“He didn’t get a lot of it, but there would always be one student every semester, or at least one student every class, that would give a negative review.”
‘Incredibly dedicated to her students’: Third victim of UNLV shooting named
The third victim killed in Wednesday’s shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has been named.
Dr Naoko Takemaru, an associate professor in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, was identified after her next of kin were informed by the coroner’s office, UNLV president Keith Whitfield said in a statement.
“With sadness, I write to you to mourn the tragic passing of Dr Naoko Takemaru, who this morning was confirmed to be among the three UNLV faculty members who lost their lives during Wednesday’s shooting,” Mr Whitfield said on Friday.
“Earlier today, the coroner’s office shared Dr Takemaru’s name following the notification of her next of kin.”
My colleague Mike Bedigan has more:
‘Incredibly dedicated to her students’: Third victim of UNLV shooting named
Associate professor Dr Naoko Takemaru was identified after her next of kin were informed by the coroner’s office
Revealed: UNLV shooter’s ‘obsession’ with Las Vegas and student reviews
The gunman who killed three people in a shooting spree at the University of Nevada’s Las Vegas campus on Wednesday had an “obsession” with Sin City and was considered “eccentric” by his students.
Martha McHardy has the full story.
Revealed: UNLV shooter’s ‘obsession’ with Las Vegas and student reviews
Anthony Polito, 67, was named by police as the suspect in the campus shooting
What we know about the UNLV shooting
While authorities reassured the commmuntity that there was ‘no further threat,’ many questions still remain, largely to do with the shooter and their motive. Mike Bedigan looks at what we know so far:
What we know about the UNLV shooting
While authorities reassured the commmuntity that there was ‘no further threat,’ many questions still remain, largely to do with the shooter and their motive. Mike Bedigan looks at what we know so far
New video shows UNLV shooting suspect moments after three professors killed
Police have released footage of UNLV shooter Anthony Polito after his deadly rampage on the university on Wednesday.
The video shows the gunman being taken down by officers just outside the campus where he is believed to have killed three faculty members and injured another on Wednesday.
A woman who police say they believe to be a professor is also seen in the footage running away from the suspect.
Anthony Polito, 67, was named by police as the suspect in the shooting which ended with his own death.
My colleague Martha McHardy has more:
New video shows UNLV shooting suspect moments after three professors killed
The video shows Anthony Polito being taken down by Las Vegas officers just outside the UNLV campus
Female student ‘felt preyed’ on by UNLV shooter
A woman who was taught by the UNLV shooter Anthony Polito said she “felt preyed” on while taking a course taught by the college professor during her senior year in 2012.
The woman, who asked not to be identified, told NBC that what began as a mentor-mentee relationship escalated into his pursuing her in a way that made her uncomfortable.
“I initially brought my résumé and my cover letters and stuff, like, just for him to review, but it just slowly became apparent that it was not as innocent,” she told the outlet.
The woman said Polito would try to have contact with her every day for nearly the entire semester, through emails and texting. She added that Polito also bought her gifts and eventually invited her to Las Vegas.
“I think that’s about when I was like ‘I have to cut this man off because he got the wrong idea,’” she said, noting that she was in her early 20s and that Polito not only was her professor but also much older than her.
“I felt preyed upon,” she said.
The woman told NBC that Polito never touched her inapproprately or acted out after she ended communication with him, and had never thought to report him because he was well-respected on campus.
“It was just so bizarre,” she said, adding that she was surprised that Polito had been accussed of Wednesday’s shooting.
All in-person final exams at UNLV cancelled
All in-person, on campus final exams at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas have been cancelled, president Keith Whitfield has announced.
Prior to Wednesday’s tragic events, the exams had been scheduled to take place next week.
“We are providing flexibility for faculty and instructors – as well as students – to bring this semester to a positive end,” a statement from Mr Whitfield read.
Students will end the semester with the grade they have earned based on work completed before December 6, though some faculty may opt to offer an optional online final exam or take-home project before December 18, allowing students an opportunity to improve their grade.
UNLV shooter was ‘struggling financially’ before shooting
UNLV gunman Anthony Polito was “struggling financially” before the shooting in which he is believed to have killed three faculty members and injured another, police said.
Anthony Polito, 67, was named by police as the suspect on Thursday in the shooting which ended with his own death.
Law enforcement sources said Polito had unsuccessfully applied for a college professorship at UNLV sometime prior to embarking on the deadly rampage.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department chief Kevin McMahill added that Polito was “struggling financially” at the time before the shooting, as evidenced by an eviction notice taped to his door when authorities executed a search warrant.
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