LAS VEGAS (NewsNation) — Two of the three people killed in the shooting Wednesday at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas have been identified.
The Clark County coroner’s office says the victims are Professor Cha Jan “Jerry” Chang, 64 and Assistant Professor Patricia Navarro Velez, 39, NewsNation local affiliate KLAS reports.
While the third person who died has also been identified, the coroner’s office is trying to reach their next-of-kin before naming them publicly. UNLV President Keith Whitfield said in an update Thursday the third victim is also a faculty member.
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference Thursday another victim who was injured in the shooting, a visiting professor, was downgraded to a “life-threatening” condition after previously being stable.
Navarro Velez, Whitfield said, was an accounting professor who “devoted her career to educating the next generation.” She got a PH.D from the University of Central Florida, a MAcc from Bowling Green State University and her BBA in accounting from the University of Puerto Rico, Ponce. Before becoming an academic, Navarro Velez was a Risk Assurance Manager at the PwC San Juan office, according to her faculty profile.
Chang was a “longtime educator” of management information systems, and spent more than 20 years of his academic career teaching students in the business school, Whitfield said. A professor at the university’s Management, Entrepreneurship & Technology department, Chang had been at UNLV since 2001. He held degrees from Taiwan, Central Michigan University and Texas A&M University, according to his online resume, and earned a Ph.D. in management information systems from the University of Pittsburgh.
“My heart breaks for the families, friends and loved ones of Dr. Navarro and Dr. Chang and for all of the victims of this senseless act of violence that has physically and emotionally affected so many,” Whitfield said.
At about 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, a gunman opened fire on the fourth floor of the building that houses UNLV’s Lee Business School, then went to several other floors before he was killed in a shootout with two university police detectives outside the building, UNLV Police Chief Adam Garcia said.
Authorities gave the all-clear about 40 minutes after the first report of an active shooter.
The gunman was identified as Anthony “Tony” Polito by McMahill Thursday. Though Polito applied numerous times for a job with several Nevada higher education institutions, he was denied, McMahill said. One of the institutions Polito applied to was UNLV, KLAS wrote.
Polito’s LinkedIn Page says he taught at East Carolina University between 2001 and 2017.
McMahill said Polito had a list of suspects he was seeking on UNLV’s campus, as well as faculty from East Carolina University.
“We have contacted almost everyone on those lists to make sure that they are all right,” McMahill said.
Polito acted alone in the shooting, using a 9mm handgun that was purchased legally in 2022, McMahill said.
Before the shooting, Polito had gone to a Henderson post office to send 22 letters to various university personnel across the country with no return address. Authorities are working with the postal inspector and federal partners to begin processing the letters.
Those in the “education world” who receive a taped envelope with no return address should proceed with caution and contact local authorities, McMahill said.
During a search warrant at Polito’s residence, police found a chair with an arrow pointing down to a document McMahill said was similar to a “last will and testament;” several computers and hard drives; ammunition with the same cartridge cases located at the scene; and a handgun box matching the weapon used in the shooting.
An eviction notice police saw on Polito’s door indicates he was struggling financially, McMahill said.
It wasn’t immediately clear how many of the school’s 30,000 students were on campus during Wednesday’s shooting, but McMahill said students had been gathered outside the building to eat and play games. If police hadn’t killed the attacker, there “could have been countless additional lives taken,” he said.
What happened at UNLV terrified a city that experienced the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history, when a gunman in 2017 killed 60 people and wounded more than 400 after opening fire from the window of a high-rise suite at Mandalay Bay on the Las Vegas Strip.
It was lessons learned from that attack that helped authorities when responding to the UNLV shooting, McMahill said.
McMahill said that in addition to the three individuals who lost their lives and one wounded, four additional people were taken to local hospitals for panic attacks, and two officers were treated for injuries they received while searching for victims.
All classes and activities at UNLV are canceled through Sunday. It is not known yet if the campus will open next week.
Whitfield in his Thursday update said the outpouring of love, support and concern being given to the university has been a “great comfort during this trying time.”
“I had the opportunity this morning to speak with and listen to students residing on campus. During this time, it’s especially important for all of us to be there for each other and I am committed to doing all I can for all of our students and staff — to listen, to comfort, and to let them know we care deeply about them and their wellbeing,” he said. “What students, employees, and campus visitors endured yesterday during the shooting and the tense aftermath is life-changing.”
The Associated Press and NewsNation affiliate KLAS in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
