Police shot and killed a suspected shooter who opened fire on the University of Nevada Las Vegas campus Wednesday, killing three and wounding another at the school where they were reportedly looking for work.
University police responded to reports of shots fired around 11:45 a.m. local time on the fourth floor of Beam Hall near the student union building, with the campus alerting students to “RUN-HIDE-FIGHT.”
“This is not a test,” the emergency alert read.
UNLV police and LVMPD officers responded to the scene, officials said. Two campus detectives “immediately engaged the suspect in a shootout” outside the building, UNLV Police Chief Adam Garcia told reporters at a press conference Wednesday night.
“The suspect was struck and died at this time,” Garcia said.
The suspected shooter is a 67-year-old career college professor who once taught at East Carolina University in North Carolina, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press, adding that they were unsuccessful in securing a job at UNLV.
The alleged gunman is 67 years old and also has ties to a university in Georgia, law enforcement sources told CN
LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill said police have confirmed the identities of the suspects, but are not releasing their names at this time.
He also declined to reveal the suspect’s connection to UNLV or what they were doing on campus.
Police arrived at the scene. A shooting was reported on the Nevada campus.
Three victims were pronounced dead and a fourth was taken to an area hospital with gunshot wounds where they are recovering in stable condition, McMahill said.
Four others were hospitalized after suffering panic attacks and two officers were treated for minor injuries sustained while cleaning the building, he said.
The shooter’s motive is still under investigation.
Officers arrived at the scene of the shooting. An officer in his vehicle at the scene. Nevada State Police officers headed to the UNLV campus. AP
The UNLV campus is located about two miles from the Las Vegas Strip and across from Harry Reid International Airport.
About 30,000 students attend the school.
The campus was placed on lockdown almost immediately after the shooting was reported. Police evacuated students and staff on campus “floor by floor, room by room, building by building,” McMahill said.
People left campus with their hands raised following reports of gunfire. via REUTERS Law enforcement approached the UNLV campus on Wednesday. via REUTERS
UNLV officials asked students to remain sheltered in place as buildings were evacuated one by one.
A University of Nevada student told local station KVUU he huddled in the campus student union building after he learned of an active shooter alert.
“We found that the police were at the location and we just took shelter in that place until we were evacuated. And it took us about 30 minutes to move us,” said the student, Jessica.
Another student described how about 200 students gathered inside the building when they heard gunshots ring out.
A shooting suspect has been killed after police responded to a “confirmed active shooter” incident on campus. KSNV
“A lot of people are panicking,” the student, who did not want to be named, told the outlet.
He said armed officers moved them out of the building with their hands up. As they were escorted out of the student union, he said they “went through one of the windows, the window was shot out, glass everywhere.”
A reunification center for those with family members on campus has been set up at the Las Vegas Convention Center, according to Clark County officials.
The campus area where the shooting took place. Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill spoke about the fatal shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus during a news conference at Las Vegas Metropolitan Police headquarters. ALLISON DINNER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Adam Garcia, UNLV vice president of public services and director of Police, speaks about the fatal shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus during a news conference at Las Vegas Metropolitan Police headquarters. Nevada AP Governor Joe Lombardo spoke about the fatal shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus during a news conference at Las Vegas Metropolitan Police headquarters. AP A law enforcement officer walks in an ambulance with the words ‘Vegas Strong’ outside the University of Nevada where multiple people have been shot on campus. ALLISON DINNER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Law enforcement officers work outside the University of Nevada where multiple people were shot on campus. ALLISON DINNER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Students walk through various law enforcement agencies working outside the University of Nevada where multiple people were shot on campus. ALLISON DINNER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock People talk to law enforcement for information, outside the University of Nevada where multiple people were shot. DINNER ALLISON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Officials said besides UNLV, all other Nevada System of Higher Education institutions in the southern part of the state were closed for the rest of the day.
UNLV Police Chief Garcia said that the school’s campus will be closed until Friday. The school could still be closed next week, when students are scheduled to take final exams, he said.
UNLV’s scheduled men’s basketball game against the University of Dayton has been canceled, the Ohio college basketball program announced on social media.
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman offered her “condolences on behalf of the entire city and community,” at a news conference Wednesday night.
“It’s a tragic time for us but it’s time to be positive and do something,” he added.
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, a former Clark’s County Sheriff, praised law enforcement for their quick response.
The UNLV shooting and two fatal shootings in Texas on Tuesday prompted President Biden to call on congressional Republicans to ban assault weapons.
“Jill and I join people across our country in praying for the families of our fallen, and for those injured during this senseless act of terror,” the president said.
“For all the actions we’ve taken since I became president, the gun violence epidemic we face demands that we do more. But we can’t do more without Congress,” Biden said.
There have been 80 school shootings so far this year, according to CNN, breaking last year’s record of 79 during the same period.
Of the school shootings this year, 51 occurred on K-12 campuses while another 29 were at colleges or universities.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
