A professor and an assistant professor on the college’s Las Vegas campus have been identified as the first victims of the horrific mass shooting at the University of Nevada.
Patricia Navarro, 39, a faculty member in the university’s accounting department, and professor Cha Jan “Jerry” Chang, 64, were named as two of three employees who lost their lives in Wednesday’s shooting.
According to 8NewsNow, Chang’s death was determined to be caused by a gunshot wound to the head, while a medical examiner determined Navarro died from multiple gunshot wounds.
A third victim has reportedly been identified, but his name will not be released until next of kin are notified.
In a statement, UNLV said, “On behalf of the office, our deepest condolences go out to the families of the victims and those affected by this tragic event.”
Patricia Navarro, an assistant professor in UNLV’s accounting department, was identified as the victim in the shooting
Professor Cha Jan “Jerry” Chang, 64, died in the mass shooting, with a coroner ruling he died of a gunshot wound to the head
Anthony Polito (pictured) has been named as the deceased suspect in the shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Navarro and Chang were killed in a horrific 40-minute rampage carried out by Professor Tony Polito, 67, who did not work at UNLV but reportedly applied for a job there and was rejected.
Navarro was first identified in a heartbreaking Instagram post shared by the California All-Stars Las Vegas Cheer Gym, which read: “Our hearts are shattered to hear the devastating news of the loss of a beloved member of our Cali family in yesterday’s senseless shooting.” .’
“Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to the Navarro family during this unimaginably difficult time,” the post said.
According to her university profile, Navarro earned a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Central Florida and focused her research on “cybersecurity disclosure and assurance, disclosure of internal control weaknesses, and data analysis.”
Three people died in the shooting and a fourth was shot, but he was in stable condition, Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference Wednesday evening.
As the massacre unfolded, a huge police presence, including tactical teams, could be seen rushing to the college after a warning was issued to students urging them to “RUN-HIDE-FIGHT”.
Less than an hour after the warning was issued, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced that the suspect had died, and footage showed frightened students being escorted one by one from buildings on campus.
A local gym in Las Vegas announced Navarro’s death and said the hearts of the community were devastated by her death
The associate professor was killed as gunman Tony Polito rampaged on the UNLV campus Wednesday morning, where police officers were seen at the scene of the college shooting
The UNLV campus was placed under urgent lockdown as police searched for the shooter, while Harry Reid International Airport – about two miles from the shooting – briefly suspended flights for security reasons.
Student John Harris heard what he later realized was a gunshot as he got out of his car in the parking garage of an on-campus apartment complex. In the elevator, Harris said he received an emergency text message from the university.
“I wasn’t sure what to believe,” said Harris, 21, who eventually found shelter in a friend’s dorm.
He told AP: “But when I got out onto the street and saw a bunch of police officers standing in the parking lot of the student union, I knew that what I heard was a gunshot and that it wasn’t a drill. “
A witness to Wednesday’s attack told Fox News he heard several gunshots on campus before they were evacuated by police.
“(I heard) boom, boom, boom, more shots,” she said. “So I ran into the basement and heard gunshots outside, heard the police, and then the police just evacuated me out.”
“I had my hands above my head and yes, I heard a lot of gunshots.” I didn’t know how many shooters there were. I didn’t actually know anything.’
An English professor at UNLV, Vincent Perez, told MSNBC he heard seven or eight loud gunshots “one after the other” as he looked across campus from the balcony of a building.
“We recognized that this was a real shooting and there was an active shooter on campus,” he said.
“It just sounded like a high-powered weapon – just an echo, an echo in a way that…makes you realize that this is someone who is out to kill people.”