The maniac who killed three people in a mass shooting at the University of Nevada Las Vegas on Wednesday was a professor who failed to get a job at the school and claimed to have solved the mystery of the Zodiac Killer and the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
Anthony Polito, 67, had unsuccessfully applied for a professorship at UNLV before he launched his deadly rampage on campus just before noon, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
Polito was armed with a gun during the massacre and was killed after exchanging gunfire with two police detectives, the outlet reported.
The shooting began around 11:45 a.m. on the fourth floor of Beam Hall, UNLV’s business school, near the student union building.
Police found three people dead when they arrived.
A fourth person was taken to an area hospital, where they are listed in critical but stable condition.
Anthony Polito has been identified as the suspect in Wednesday’s mass shooting that left three people dead at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Anthony Polito / Linkedin
Four others were hospitalized after suffering panic attacks and two officers were treated for minor injuries sustained while clearing the building, LVMPD police said.
Polito’s LinkedIn account states that he is a “semi-retired university professor” based in Las Vegas and attended his undergraduate degree at Radford University in Virginia, where he graduated with a double major in mathematics and statistics before earning a master’s degree at Duke University and completing his studies. doctorate of philosophy at the University of Georgia.
He served as an associate professor for 15½ years at East Carolina University from August 2001 to January 2017.
Students evacuated one of the school buildings with their hands raised, as a police officer stood by with a gun drawn. via REUTERS
At the time, he also ran a personal website about his life, where he posted a 15-page theory claiming he decoded messages left by the Zodiac Killer, who operated in Northern California in the late 1960s.
“Lest you initially write off my solution as a very difficult one, let me first say that I have been a member of MENSA for 35 years, I hold a double bachelor’s degree in Mathematics & Statistics (two skills closely related. with members successful cryptographers) … and I hold a master’s degree and a doctorate from a top-tier university as well,” Polito wrote in the introduction.
“So I’m not a stupid man!”
He further claimed to have solved the fate of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and to know the true meaning of Leonardo DiCaprio’s 2010 film “Inception.”
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.” via REUTERS
Elsewhere on his website, Polito writes about his love for Las Vegas.
“It’s hard to believe, looking back, but I’ve had the pleasure of making more than two dozen trips to Vegas over the past 15 years,” his “personal profile” reads.
“I don’t gamble much, but there’s plenty to do there, that’s for sure!!”
“Over the years, my steel trap mind has collected more information and trivia about Vegas than probably anyone in the state east of I-95 (at least).”
A SWAT vehicle arrives on the UNLV campus after a shooting on Dec. 6, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images
Polito also uses the site to list some of his favorite things, including places in Vegas and his favorite music.
His website says he will usually listen to Frank Sinatra, but also likes Selena, Elton John and Willie Nelson.
In the favorite movies section, Polito included “Apocalypse: Now” and recommended Oliver Stone’s conspiracy-laden “JFK” and Ayn Rand’s conservative epic “The Fountainhead.”
The shooting began around 11:45 a.m. on the fourth floor of Beam Hall, UNLV’s business school, near the student union building. DINNER ALLISON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Polito writes that each of his favorite films “argues the truth with powerful eloquence.”
His site also lists people he credits as “Great Minds of the Twentieth Century,” including George Soros, Nikola Tesla and astronomer Carl Sagan.
In a section titled “Powerful Organizations Sided with World Domination,” Polito includes the Rothschild family, the National Security Administration and even the Department of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The section also links back to a website created by right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
People wait on the edge of the UNLV campus after a shooting on Dec. 6, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images
But Polito has also received praise for his work as a professor, writing on his LinkedIn: “The greatest gift and gift I have had in my years in higher education is the many kind & positive comments students make about my instructional bias towards them.”
One student commented on his page, “I had the opportunity to have Dr. Polito as my teacher for my Operations Management course that I took in the fall of 2013.
“I was an international student from Canada at the time, and learned a lot of new things in this course.
“Dr. Polito teaches students about things that happen in the real world that we will be able to apply in our careers,” claimed the student. “He definitely knows his course material and each new class covers an interesting topic.”
People cross Maryland Parkway as they are led off the UNLV campus after a shooting on Dec. 6, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images
Polito also published 109 pages of alleged positive feedback he received from students on his website.
“Polito is very organized with prepared notes,” one comment read. “He is approachable and seems very open to students’ concerns and ideas.
“His ‘real world’ experience provides anecdotes that explain the course material. He is a definite asset to the Management Department.
Investigators determined the victim was not a student, but faculty or staff at the school, which may be investigated as a potential motive for the shooting. via REUTERS
Another student reportedly wrote: “Professor Polito knows what he’s talking about.
“He might seem rambling sometimes about certain things, but he keeps your attention and keeps you alert, which is better than causing students to fall asleep out of boredom.
“He teaches real life lessons that relate to the book/course material,” the student added. “I enjoyed her class and I would recommend her to my peers.”
The campus was placed on lockdown almost immediately after the shooting was reported. Police evacuated students and staff “floor by floor, room by room, building by building,” LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a press briefing Wednesday afternoon.
Traffic stopped after shooting at UNLV. ZUMAPRESS.com
An apartment in Henderson, Nevada, believed to be Polito’s home, is being searched, as law enforcement officials continue to investigate the shooting as they prepare to work overnight and into the morning, a law enforcement official told ABC News.
The suspect’s phone has already been taken and detectives are looking for any clues that could hint at any form of motivation for the murder.
Investigators determined the victim was not a student, but faculty or staff at the school, which may be investigated as a potential motive for the shooting.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
