Las Vegas shooting suspect was a professor who recently applied for a job at UNLV, AP source says

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A law enforcement source revealed to The Big Big News that the individual responsible for the tragic shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, which resulted in three deaths and one injury, had previously sought but failed to secure a position at the university. This individual, formerly associated with East Carolina University in North Carolina, was ultimately neutralized by police following an exchange of gunfire.

The incident, occurring on December 6, 2023, caused widespread alarm in Las Vegas, a city still healing from the 2017 mass shooting that claimed 60 lives. The police have yet to disclose the identities of either the perpetrator or the victims, nor the underlying motives for the attack.

The chaos unfolded around 11:45 a.m., prompting a swift police response and leading to a lockdown of the campus, with students and staff seeking refuge in classrooms and dormitories. The assailant, who began the shooting in the Lee Business School building, was confronted and shot dead by university detectives outside the premises.

Professor Kevaney Martin, who found herself hiding under a desk with colleagues and students, described the ordeal as an emotionally harrowing experience. In the aftermath, she transported her students off campus, reflecting on the incident in stunned silence.

The university community was promptly alerted to the emergency with an urgent message advising them to “RUN-HIDE-FIGHT.” Student Matthew Felsenfeld recounted his experience of barricading himself with classmates and contacting his family during the crisis. Another student, Jordan Eckermann, described the chaotic scenes he witnessed, including encountering an armed officer and hearing gunshots as he evacuated the building.

This latest shooting, occurring close to the site of the 2017 mass shooting, underscores the recurring threat of gun violence in the United States. In response, the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily halted flights to the nearby Harry Reid International Airport, and the university canceled classes for the remainder of the week. The scheduled basketball game against the University of Dayton was also called off.

This report includes contributions from Terry Tang, W.G. Ramirez, Russ Bynum, and Robert Jablon from Big Big News.

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