(RepublicanPress.org) – The Associated Press shared a graphic showing the number of mass killings in the US from 2006 to the present day. It showed there have been 42 mass murders so far in 2023 and 574 in the last 17 years, killing nearly 3,000 people. The source defined the criteria as attacks resulting in the deaths of four or more people — not including the suspect — within one day. While the most recent mass shooting wouldn’t qualify for that particular list, it was still just as horrific.
On December 7, ABC13 reported that 67-year-old Anthony Polito allegedly walked onto the University of Nevada campus in Las Vegas and opened fire, killing three people and wounding a fourth victim. Campus police quickly responded to the scene, confronted the gunman, and killed him. According to the source, Polito was a college professor who tried to get a job at UNLV but was not hired. Apparently, he worked at East Carolina University in North Carolina for 16 years.
UNLV shooting: Here's what we know so far about gunman Anthony Polito: https://t.co/GvhvVLh9XC
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) December 7, 2023
ABC News stated that investigators conducted a search of the suspect’s home to look for evidence and a motive for the shooting. Police believe the attack may not have been random, as the victims were all part of the staff at UNLV, not students. Still, the investigation is ongoing. Reports have indicated that the suspect previously sought a job with UNLV and didn’t get it.
NPR reported that Professor Kevaney Martin was taking shelter inside her classroom when the shooting started. She said, “It was terrifying,” but she was trying not to show her fear so her students wouldn’t panic. Martin was eventually summoned outside by another professor, and a group of them drove away from campus. She said they were all in shock. Many are still reeling from the previous mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017, just three miles away from the UNLV campus. That incident ended in the deaths of 60 people.
The identities of three deceased victims, including Naoko Takemaru, Patricia Navarro-Velez, Cha Jan “Jerry” Chang, have been released.
Copyright 2023, RepublicanPress.org
