LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said three people are dead, and one is recovering at an area hospital as a gunman was killed following a shooting on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Wednesday.
While police said they knew the suspect's identity, they did not release that information Wednesday, saying they were awaiting notification of his next-of-kin. However, 8 News Now Investigators sources say the suspect is an older white man in his 60s. Those sources said the shooter was a former college professor who recently applied for a job at the university and was denied. He may have also had a connection to a person who works on campus.
“What happened today was a heinous, unforgivable crime,” Kevin McMahill, Sheriff for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said. “It’s a crime that we train for each and every day.”
LVMPD and University police responded to reports of an active shooter at the UNLV campus at around 11:45 a.m. Within minutes, both on and off-duty responders responded to the situation. Adam Garcia, Director of University Police Services Southern Command, said that two of their detectives responded to the scene and became involved in a "shoot out" with the suspect outside Beam Hall.
Beam Hall is the home of the Lee Business School and is near the Student Union building.
The suspect was shot and killed, McMahill said Wednesday afternoon, adding that there was no further threat to campus. No information was initially available as to the motive of the shooter. LVMPD detectives were expected to continue their shooting investigation into Thursday morning.
“I had no doubt that the response would be appropriate, it would be swift, it would be quick,” Governor Lombardo said. “Today, LVMPD did a fantastic job along with the University PD.”
“I want to commend the security out at UNLV for their instantaneous reaction,” Mayor Carolyn Goodman added.
McMahill said that in addition to the three individuals who lost their lives, and the one recovering from the shooting, four additional individuals were taken to local hospitals for panic attacks, and two officers were treated for injuries they received while searching for victims.
Garcia said all Nevada System of Higher Education campuses in Southern Nevada were closed Wednesday out of an abundance of caution and would remain closed on Thursday. Officials from the College of Southern Nevada said via a post on X that there would be no classes and no employees should come to campus.
At 7:38 on Wednesday, officials from UNLV said that the active threat on the school's campus had ended and that all shelter-in-place direction had been lifted. UNLV's campus will remain closed Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, Gracia said. It is not known yet if the campus will open next week.
For anyone looking for a loved one on the UNLV campus, an informational line and website have been set up at 702-455-AIDE (2433) or facofsouthernnevada.org. The information there will be limited, Fire Chief Steinback said. A reunification center was established at the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Students and faculty evacuated from campus were also taken to the Thomas and Mack Center.
The basketball game between UNLV and the University of Dayton was canceled following the shooting, Dayton Basketball said on X.
Initial reports on the shooting started just before noon Wednesday when UNLV Police posted about the shots fired in the Beam Hall building. The post directed students and faculty to evacuate to a safe area and included direction to "RUN-HIDE-FIGHT."
Frightened students bunkered down in classrooms. A student identified as Matthew said he barricaded his classroom and pushed six tables against the door, Matthew said, detailing the students' panic.
"It's very scary when you go to a college campus as open as this one," he said. "People are scared now because every time you step on a college campus, there are shootings every single year now. I wasn't even close to it and I'm still scared out of my mind right now."
"You see this stuff happening on television all the time, unfortunately, mass shootings are a common thing in this country," Najah Ali, another UNLV student said. "It doesn't really hit you until it happens on your own campus."
Ali said that she lives on campus and was there when the shooting began.
"I am still at a loss of words. I can't really feel it and I feel like that the common theme among all my friends. That we can't believe this is happening and this is a real thing."
UNLV instructor Miles Thomas detailed the moments when the shooting occurred.
"They escorted us out of the building, and as I exited the building, that's when I saw the shattered glass from the gunshots in the student union," Thomas said. "There was a second when I thought I was gonna … I thought that was it."
Thomas said he first became fearful when he heard three gunshots.
"Pop, pop, pop, and I was like, 'Oh my god.' So we were sitting there and so I turned to my two students and I said, 'I think we should get down.'"
Roadways in the area were still closed off and commuters were asked to expect delays on Wednesday. Drivers are urged to stay away from the UNLV area.