A person opened fire Wednesday on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus, and at least three victims were taken to hospitals, according to police who reported the shooter was found dead. “Right now, we know there are 3 victims, but unknown extent of the injuries,” Sheriff Kevin McMahill said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “That number could change.”
Quick Read
- Shooting at University of Nevada, Las Vegas: A shooting occurred on the UNLV campus, resulting in at least three victims taken to hospitals.
- Shooter Found Dead: The shooter was found dead, but details on how the suspect died were not immediately clear.
- Campus Alert and Response: Alerts were sent across the campus following reports of an active shooter, and university police engaged with the suspect.
- Students and Faculty Sheltered: Students and faculty barricaded themselves inside classrooms and dorm rooms during the incident.
- Witness Accounts: Students and professors shared their experiences of hearing gunshots and taking shelter, describing the situation as terrifying and shocking.
- Location of the Shooting: The university reported that the shooter was at Beam Hall, home of UNLV’s Lee Business School, with additional reports of shots at the student union.
- Police Confirmation: Las Vegas police confirmed the suspect’s death approximately 40 minutes after the initial alert.
- Emergency Notification: The university issued a “RUN-HIDE-FIGHT” alert on X (formerly Twitter) during the emergency.
- Community and Student Reactions: Students described their fear and the urgent actions they took, such as barricading doors and contacting loved ones.
- Campus Proximity to Las Vegas Strip: UNLV’s campus is located less than 2 miles east of the Las Vegas Strip.
- FAA Response: The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for flights coming into Harry Reid International Airport following the shooting.
- Cancellation of Classes and Events: Classes at UNLV were canceled, and a basketball game in Ohio was called off due to the incident.
- Context of Previous Las Vegas Shooting: The shooting adds to the city’s history of gun violence, notably the 2017 mass shooting at the Mandalay Bay casino.
The Associated Press has the story
Las Vegas Sheriff: At least 3 victims in university campus shootings
Newslooks- LAS VEGAS (AP)
A person opened fire Wednesday on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus, and at least three victims were taken to hospitals, according to police who reported the shooter was found dead.
“Right now, we know there are 3 victims, but unknown extent of the injuries,” Sheriff Kevin McMahill said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “That number could change.”
McMahill did not say whether any victims had been killed. Authorities planned to give further updates at a news conference scheduled for 5 p.m. PT.
Alerts went out across the campus after callers reported an active shooter to police 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.
Students and professors on the campus of 30,000 barricaded themselves inside classrooms and dorm rooms.
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 said 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.”
The university said on X 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.”
Student Matthew Felsenfeld said he and about 12 classmates barricaded their door in a building near the student union.
“It’s the moment you call your parents and tell them you love them,” said Felsenfeld, a 21-year-old journalism student.
He said he didn’t hear gunfire or see anyone injured but said he saw out the windows as police staged to enter the neighboring building. a short while later, police came and ushered them out.
Pierre Lescure, a UNLV senior, was riding his bicycle from home to campus for a meeting when he said about 10 police cars drove pass him.
“They drove too fast and there was no ambulance, just cops. It was clearly a shooting,” Lescure said. “It could not be something else.”
UNLV’s 332-acre (135-hectare) campus is less than 2 miles east of the Las Vegas Strip.
In response to the campus shootings, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop of all flights coming into Harry Reid International Airport. The university is roughly 2 miles (3 kilometers) north of the airport.
Tony Molinaro, an FAA spokesperson, referred a request to comment to Las Vegas law enforcement.
Classes were canceled at the university, and UNLV’s basketball game at the University of Dayton, Ohio, was canceled Wednesday night because of the Las Vegas shootings.
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 UNLV campus is just over 3 miles (5 kilometers) from that location.
