Police bodycam footage shows chaos during UNLV shooting

Body camera footage released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department provides a harrowing account of the response to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) shooting on December 6, 2023. Officers moved urgently through the university’s business school, encountering alarming sounds and ‘blood everywhere.’ The suspect, Anthony Polito, engaged in a shootout with the police outside the building after fatally shooting three professors: Naoko Takemaru, Cha Jan ‘Jerry’ Chang, and Patricia Navarro Velez. The footage depicts the chaos as police attempted to secure the campus, evacuate students, and assess potential threats. Polito was ultimately shot and killed by police. While police have not officially disclosed a motive for the shooting, the police characterized Polito as struggling financially, having been turned down for teaching positions at UNLV and other schools. A ‘target list’ was found on Polito after the shooting, however none of the victim’s names were on the list. The aftermath has left the UNLV community in shock and mourning, and security remains heightened on campus.