UNLV Shooting: 3 killed after gunman opens fire on campus, suspect deceased
LAS VEGAS – The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said three people were killed while one person remains in stable condition after a shooting unfolded at UNLV on Wednesday.
Authorities also said the suspected gunman is also deceased.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill said an armed confrontation with police led to the suspect’s death and prevented more harm to the campus community.
McMahill said investigators know who the suspected gunman is but will not release the person’s identity until the next of kin is notified. The names of the victims have not been released.
They add four additional people were sent to local hospitals for panic attacks.
Police were called about an active shooter on campus at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, said Adam Garcia, a university police official. He said officers found and “engaged” a suspect, who is now dead. It was not immediately clear how the suspect died.
The university said on X, formerly Twitter, that the shooter was at the Beam Hall, Frank and Estella Building, home of UNLV’s Lee Business School, and that police were responding to an additional report of shots fired at the nearby student union.
Las Vegas police posted on X that a suspect “has been located and is deceased” about 40 minutes after the initial alert was posted.
Students and the community were alerted to the emergency by a university post on X.
“This is not a test,” the university wrote. “RUN-HIDE-FIGHT.”
UNLV shooting: Latest police update
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a post on X that there appeared to be several victims. University officials told students to “RUN-HIDE-FIGHT,” and said police were responding to additional reports of shots fired in the student union on campus. FBI agents were assisting local law enforcement and are on the scene, according to a source.
Student John Harris heard what he later realized was a gunshot as he was getting out of his car in the parking garage of an on-campus apartment complex. In the elevator, Harris he got an emergency text alert text from the university.
“I wasn’t sure what to believe,” said Harris, 21, who ended up sheltering at a friend’s dorm. “But as I came down to the street, and I saw there were a bunch of cops in the parking lot at the student union, I knew what I heard was a gunshot and this wasn’t a drill.”
Professor Kevaney Martin took cover under a desk in her classroom, where another faculty member and three students took shelter with her.
“It was terrifying, I can’t even begin to explain,” Matin said. “I was trying to hold it together for my students, and trying not to cry, but the emotions are something I never want to experience again.”
Martin said she was texting friends and loved ones, hoping to receive word a suspect had been detained. When another professor came to the room and told everyone to evacuate, they joined dozens of others rushing out of the building. Martin had her students piled into her car and drove them off campus.
“Once we got away from UNLV, we parked and sat in silence,” she said. “Nobody said a word. We were in utter shock.”
Administrators said the UNLV campus and all other Nevada System of Higher Education institutions will be closed for the remainder of the day.
Authorities also said they do not know a motive for the shooting.
The shooting occurred in a city still scarred by one of the worst mass killings in U.S. history, the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting at the Mandalay Bay casino in Las Vegas, in which 60 were killed and hundreds more wounded.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office said if you are looking for a loved one who was on the UNLV campus, call 702-455-AIDE (2433). A Family Reunification Center will be located at the Las Vegas Convention Center. You can also click here.