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At least 3 dead after shooting on UNLV campus, Las Vegas police say

By Elise Hammond, Adrienne Vogt, Tori B. Powell and Amir Vera, CNN

Updated 11:46 p.m. ET, December 6, 2023
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11:02 p.m. ET, December 6, 2023

A suspected shooter at the UNLV campus is dead. Here's what you should know

From CNN staff

Three people are dead and one person is in stable condition following a shooting at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, police said on Wednesday. The suspected shooter is also dead.

Here's what you should know:

  • About the shooting: Authorities received a call of an active shooter at 11:45 a.m. local time near Beam Hall, the home of the university’s Lee Business School. Police responded to additional shots fired at the Student Union building Wednesday, which is right next to Beam Hall, according to a university alert. Students and staff and told them to evacuate to a safe area. By 12:37 p.m. local time, police said the suspect was dead.
  • The victims: The Sunrise Hospital trauma center said it was actively treating three victims from the shooting. The hospital activated its mass casualty protocol when it got word of the incident, trauma medical director Dr. Chris Fisher said. One person suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to a local hospital. This person was initially listed as critical condition, and was later upgraded to stable condition, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill.
  • The suspect: Authorities know the name of the suspect, but are not releasing it until their next of kin has been notified, McMahill said. A law enforcement source told CNN the suspect is a 67-year-old career college professor whose connection to UNLV is unknown at this time.
  • A community impacted: UNLV will be closed for the rest of the week, university police said. The Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport, located near the university, was experiencing flight impacts because of a “security incident,” according to an alert from the Federal Aviation Administration. Also, tonight’s basketball game between UNLV and Dayton was canceled, the Dayton men's team announced Wednesday.
  • What Biden said: President Joe Biden marked a pair of shootings – in Texas and at UNLV – by expressing sympathy for the families of those affected while calling on Republicans in Congress to pass a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Other local officials also expressed dismay over the reports from the Vegas campus.
  • School shootings across the US: With the shooting at UNLV, there have now been 80 US school shootings so far this year, according to a CNN analysis. Of those, 51 shootings have been reported on K-12 campuses and 29 on university and college campuses.

The post has been updated with the latest information from police on the three deceased victims.

11:02 p.m. ET, December 6, 2023

Shelter in place orders lifted on UNLV campus

From CNN’s Cindy Von Quednow

Shelter in place orders have been lifted at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus hours after a shooting there left three victims dead, the university said on X (formerly Twitter).

“Law Enforcement confirm that there is NO longer an active threat on UNLV campus. All Shelter-in-place instructions are lifted,” the post read.  

10:08 p.m. ET, December 6, 2023

Wrangler National Finals Rodeo cancels first performance on Thursday due to UNLV shooting

From CNN's Taylor Romine

The first events of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo scheduled for Thursday were canceled following a shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Events (LVE) Board of Trustees and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Board of Directors announced in a news release Wednesday. 

“All of us are saddened by the events that occurred today,” LVE President Tim Keener said in the release. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who have been affected. We are grateful to all of the first responders, police, security and the UNLV community for their actions today.”

The Cowboy Channel Cowboy Christmas will continue as planned Thursday, the release said.

9:15 p.m. ET, December 6, 2023

Actions of police officers prevented "countless additional lives taken," sheriff says

From CNN’s Taylor Romine

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill speaks at a news conference on Wednesday.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill speaks at a news conference on Wednesday. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Thanks to the quick actions of the police officers that responded to the shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus, many lives were saved that were in danger, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a news conference Wednesday. 

“There was a gathering just outside of the building where the students were playing games and eating food,” McMahill said. “There were tables set up for them to play Legos, and if it hadn’t been for the heroic actions of one of those police officers who responded, there could’ve been countless additional lives taken.” 

Officers responded to an active shooter call at 11:45 a.m. PT (2 p.m. ET) and shortly after engaged the suspect outside of Beam Hall on the university campus, McMahill said. The shooting started on the fourth floor of the building and went to multiple floors before the suspect was neutralized outside, he said. 

The university will be closed for the rest of the week, university police said.  

8:54 p.m. ET, December 6, 2023

UNLV shooter was a former college professor with unknown connection to the school 

From CNN's John Miller and Dave Alsup

The suspect in the UNLV shooting is a 67-year-old career college professor, a law enforcement source told CNN.

The suspect has connections with schools in Georgia and North Carolina, but it is unknown what connection the suspect had with the school where Wednesday’s fatal shooting took place. 

Police are not releasing the name of the suspect, who is also dead, until their next of kin is notified, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said in a news conference. 

Three other people were killed in the shooting, one person was transported to a local hospital with a gunshot wound and four other people who were suffering from panic attacks were also sent to local hospitals, according to McMahill.

9:34 p.m. ET, December 6, 2023

UNLV shooting marks 80th school shooting in 2023, according to a CNN analysis

From CNN's Gillian Roberts and Alex Leeds Matthews

Parents Mabel Fontanilla and Raul Villalonga embrace after a shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus on Wednesday.
Parents Mabel Fontanilla and Raul Villalonga embrace after a shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus on Wednesday. Ronda Churchill/AFP/Getty Images

There have been 80 US school shootings so far this year, according to a CNN analysis. Of those, 51 shootings have been reported on K-12 campuses and 29 on university and college campuses.

This includes the latest shooting in Las Vegas on the UNLV campus.

8:09 p.m. ET, December 6, 2023

Las Vegas police know name of suspect in UNLV shooting but will not release until next of kin is notified

From CNN’s Taylor Romine

Authorities know the name of the suspect in the shooting at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, but will not release it until their next of kin has been notified, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said during a news conference Wednesday. 

7:40 p.m. ET, December 6, 2023

Student describes professor telling him to run after shooter opened fire on UNLV campus

From CNN’s Sara Smart

Brett Johnsen speaks to CNN’s Erin Burnett on Wednesday evening.
Brett Johnsen speaks to CNN’s Erin Burnett on Wednesday evening. CNN

A student who was inside the building on the University of Nevada's Las Vegas campus where the shooting took place said no one was concerned at first when they heard a noise during class.

Brett Johnsen was attending class on the second floor of the business law building when his professor stopped mid-lecture after hearing a loud noise — but he said it didn’t sound like a gunshot so the professor continued teaching.

“Then an alarm came on,” Johnsen said. “I’ve never heard an alarm like that before, it didn’t sound like a fire alarm,”

The students in the class began packing things up, relatively calmly, Johnsen said.

“When we began to walk out of the class, that’s when things got real,” he said.

The look on his professor’s face turned into panic and he urged the students to get back, lock the door and get on the ground.

“If the shooter came into our classroom we were all just basically sitting ducks,” Johnsen said.

A few moments later, the professor opened the door to check that it was clear and advised the students to run. Johnsen said he ran as fast as he could down the stairs of the building and outside as far as he could go.

He said everyone on campus was telling each other to run and evacuate.

“It looked like every single cop in Las Vegas was at UNLV,” Johnsen said.

7:07 p.m. ET, December 6, 2023

Police still evacuating buildings on UNLV campus

From CNN’s Cindy Von Quednow

Police evacuate students after a shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on Wednesday.
Police evacuate students after a shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on Wednesday. K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service/Getty Images

Authorities in Las Vegas are still evacuating buildings on the University of Nevada Las Vegas campus following a shooting there Wednesday, the University Police Services said on X.

Authorities asked anyone on campus to continue sheltering in place until the area is cleared, and described the incident as an “active investigation.”