Suspect who gunned down three at University of Las Vegas identified as professor turned down for job

A gunman fatally shot three people and left a fourth critically wounded Wednesday at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. The shooter, whom police successfully eliminated, has been identified as a disgruntled business professor who was recently turned down for a job at the institution.

The shooting

Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department indicated that at approximately 11:45 a.m., police received reports of an active shooter at the UNLV campus. Both metropolitan and campus police raced to the scene.

The gunman reportedly began his rampage on the fourth floor of the building wherein the university's Lee Business School operates.

Responding to the crackle of gunfire, UNLV professor Kevaney Martin took shelter in a classroom along with another faculty member and three students, reported the Associated Press.

"It was terrifying. I can't even begin to explain," said Martin, who took cover under a desk. "I was trying to hold it together for my students and trying not to cry, but the emotions are something I never want to experience again."

Jordan Eckermann, 25, noted that a loud bang followed by an alarm interrupted his business law class. His professor urged the class to remain calm, but students nevertheless panicked. Eckermann recalled scoping out the hallway and encountering a law enforcement officer in tactical gear who instructed him to exit the building.

Minutes after exiting, Eckermann said he heard a score of gunshots.

The shooter had stalked several floors of the building before campus police engaged him in a shootout outside Beam Hall.

Officers swiftly eliminated the shooter, according to Adam Garcia, director of University Police Services Southern Command.

The all-clear was given roughly 40 minutes after the first report of shots fired.

Three individuals were confirmed dead, and a fourth victim was taken to Sunrise Hospital. McMahill noted the fourth victim had been upgraded to stable condition by the early evening. Four other people were reportedly taken to a hospital suffering "panic attacks," and two officers were treated for minor injuries.

The victims have not yet been identified by police.

"What happened today is a heinous, unforgivable crime," said McMahill.

"But I want y'all to know something," continued the sheriff. "It's a crime that we train for each and every day. When there's an active shooter threat, the men and the women of the Southern Nevada first responder community — police, fire, and EMS — come together quickly and decisively with zero hesitation."

The sheriff alluded to the October 2017 massacre where 60 people were gunned down at a country music festival in Las Vegas and 400 more were wounded, intimating that the LVMPD has worked hard to ensure that atrocity at such a scale would never again strike the city.

McMahill noted that the actions of one police officer in particular ensured that no harm came to the large gathering of students at a Lego exhibit outside the hall where the shootings occurred.

Classes at the university have been canceled for the remainder of the week.

The shooter

Law enforcement sources told ABC News that the dead shooter was a 67-year-old academic who had unsuccessfully applied for a college professorship at UNLV.

According to his LinkedIn profile, the alleged suspect worked as an associate professor at East Carolina University in North Carolina from 2001 until 2017. It appears he also briefly taught at the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Georgia. Although he received a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Georgia, he largely taught business classes.

Newsweek reported that the former ECU professor's personal website features a section titled "Theories Regarding Various Mysteries & Puzzles," containing a document wherein he claimed he decoded the Zodiac Killer's cryptic messages.

In addition to listing leftist billionaire George Soros and "Open Society" advocate Karl Popper among the "Great Minds of the Twentieth Century" on his website, the alleged suspect also had a section listing "Powerful Organzations [sic] Bent on Global Domination!" such as the Rothschild family, the U.N., and the Illuminati.

Officials Provide New Details on the Active Shooter Incident at UNLVyoutu.be

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