A man identified as Anthony Polito is the person suspected of carrying out a deadly mass shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Notably, he had applied to the university before in hopes of being hired as a professor, but his application was eventually turned down.

He was armed with a handgun and started a shooting on the fourth floor of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) business school’s Beam Hall, which left three people dead. Polito was involved in a gunfight with law enforcement that ended with his demise.

Also read | Who was Benjamin Zephaniah? British writer and poet dies at 65

Who was Anthony Polito?

Anthony Polito was 67 years old. With degrees from Radford University, Duke University, and the University of Georgia, Anthony Polito described himself as a “Semi-Retired University Professor” living in Las Vegas.

His LinkedIn profile, which detailed his time spent in higher education, highlighted the favorable comments he received from students about his teaching style. From August 2001 to January 2017, Polito was an associate professor at East Carolina University.

Also read | Shots fired at Indianapolis high school following game | Watch video

Polito revealed some of his preferences on his website, including his favorite spots in Vegas and musical selections. He enjoyed everything from the timeless melodies of Frank Sinatra to the various genres of Willie Nelson, Selena, and Elton John.

In addition, Polito discussed his tastes in movies, citing “Apocalypse Now” as his favorite and ending with Oliver Stone’s conspiracy-heavy “JFK” and Ayn Rand’s conservative epic “The Fountainhead” as his two other favorite films.

He committed a horrific act that left a fourth victim critically injured yet stable. In addition, two officers were slightly hurt during the incident, and four people had panic attacks.

Also read | UNLV shooter identified as 67-year-old professor whose job application was denied by university

Following the event, police officers systematically withdrew staff and students from the UNLV campus and placed it under lockdown.

Detectives searched Anthony Polito’s phone at his Henderson, Nevada, apartment as part of their investigation, looking for possible reasons for the shooting.

Even if professors or staff members were named as the victims rather than students, police are still looking into this possibility as a possible reason for the attack.