The despised professor who murdered three University of Las Vegas faculty members also sent 22 letters containing white powder to university academics across the country before Wednesday’s shooting, police said.
Anthony Polito, 67, surreptitiously left the envelopes at a nearby post office without indicating the return address before heading to the UNLV campus and unleashing a deadly shooting after he was rejected for a job.
“I learned that in reviewing the envelopes we were able to intercept, after reviewing 14,000 pieces of mail and identifying the 22 that were sent, the first letter we opened had an unknown white powdery substance,” Las Vegas said. Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference Thursday.
The content of the letters is still unclear, but McMahill said some of the recipients are university leaders at UNLV and East Carolina University, where Polito served as an associate professor of business from August 2001 to January 2017.
Polito stormed the campus shortly before noon Wednesday equipped with a handgun and 11 magazines of ammunition, the police sheriff said. He also carried a hit list that included professors from UNLV and East Carolina University.
Alleged shooter Polito sent 22 possibly intertwined letters to university academics across the country, including UNLV and his former employer. Antonio Polito / Linkedin
Polito allegedly killed three professors inside Beam Hall, which houses the university’s business school.
Police identified two of the victims as business professors Patricia Navarro-Velez and Cha Jan “Jerry” Chang.
Chang, 64, died from a single gunshot wound to the head, and Navarro-Vélez, 39, suffered multiple gunshot wounds, according to the medical examiner.
The identity of the third victim, also a teacher, has not been released pending family notification.
A fourth victim, a 38-year-old visiting professor, survived the attack and was rushed to a hospital, where his condition has since been downgraded to life-threatening.
“None of the people on the target list became victims,” McMahill said.
Polito allegedly carried a list of targets to the massacre. fake images
Polito was killed when he ran out of the building and exchanged gunfire with police, who eventually “neutralized the threat.”
At Polito’s home, officers found additional documents left by the gunman indicating he intended to die during the mass shooting.
“There was a chair with an arrow pointing to a document that was similar to the last will and testament,” McMahill said.
Investigators also found a box for the .9mm handgun, which was purchased legally last year, and ammunition that matched the gun and cartridges found at the scene.
Politio’s motive for the series of violence is unclear, but police suggested it could be related to his repeated rejection by universities.
“We know that he applied numerous times for a job at various Nevada higher education institutions and was denied each time,” McMahill said.
“We also know that the suspect was having financial difficulties, as demonstrated when we served a search warrant at his apartment. “There was an eviction notice taped to the front door.”
Authorities said it was clear Polito was not targeting students, but said it was possible he had moved to the nearby student union building where the community was enjoying a barbecue before the shooting began.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said two of the three slain victims were professors at the UNLV business school. LVMPD/Facebook
Polito’s victims were murdered on the third and fourth floors of Beam Hall, where the faculty and staff offices of the accounting and marketing departments are located.
Navarro-Velez was a professor of accounting and had a Ph.D. in accounting and was currently focused on research into cybersecurity disclosures and data analytics, according to the school’s website.
Chang was an associate professor in the business school’s Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology department and had been teaching at UNLV since 2001. He had degrees from Taiwan, Central Michigan University and Texas A&M University, according to his online resume. He earned a Ph.D. in management information systems from the University of Pittsburgh.
Police do not believe the students were Polito’s target. fake images
Following its identification by Las Vegas authorities, the Nevada System of Higher Education issued a statement expressing “pain and anguish” over the tragedy.
“Our thoughts are, first and foremost, with the families and friends of those who lost their lives. We stand by his side in his grief and offer him our unwavering support during this unimaginably difficult time. “The presence of those lost will be deeply missed and their memory will remain forever in our hearts,” the state agency stated.
There have been 80 school shootings so far this year, breaking last year’s record of 79 in the same period.
Of this year’s school shootings, 51 occurred on K-12 campuses, while the other 29 occurred at colleges or universities.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn