UNLV Gunman Identified As Former Professor, Targeted Faculty And Not Students

In a shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Wednesday, the suspect has been identified as a former business professor. Three faculty members were killed and one critically injured. The suspect, who had previously worked at East Carolina University, had sent letters to various university faculty members across the U.S. and had a list of targets, which included individuals at both UNLV and East Carolina University.

Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill revealed that the suspect’s weapon was a legally purchased 9mm handgun, and he brought considerable additional ammunition to the scene. The motive behind the attack is still under investigation, but it was noted that the suspect had unsuccessfully applied for multiple academic positions in Nevada.

The university community is in mourning, with two of the deceased identified as Professors Patricia Navarro-Velez and Cha Jan “Jerry” Chang. The identity of the third victim is pending notification of relatives. A 38-year-old visiting professor was also critically wounded in the incident.

The shooting took place at UNLV’s Lee Business School, causing panic among students and staff. Navarro-Velez was an accounting professor with a focus on cybersecurity disclosures, while Chang, an associate professor, had a background in management information systems and had been with UNLV since 2001.

The suspect’s behavior had previously raised concerns among his students at East Carolina University, with reports of his fixation on Las Vegas and sensitivity to negative student feedback. The incident has particularly shaken Las Vegas, a city still recovering from the largest mass shooting in U.S. history in 2017. The university’s response to the attack was aided by lessons learned from the 2017 incident.

The situation was contained about 40 minutes after the first report of the active shooter, following a confrontation with the gunman outside the business school.