The gunman who killed three people in a University of Nevada, Las Vegas building and wounded a fourth before dying in a shootout with police on Wednesday is reportedly a professor who had unsuccessfully sought a job at the school.
Police did not immediately identify the victims, the attacker or the motive for the shooting.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has been contacted for comment via email.
The suspect is 67-year-old Tony Polito, ABC News reported, citing multiple law enforcement sources. Polito had applied for a job at UNLV, but was not hired, the sources said.
He previously worked at East Carolina University in North Carolina, according to The Associated Press.
The only position listed on Polito's LinkedIn page is as an associate professor at the university from 2001 until 2017.
On the page, he described himself as a "semi-retired" college professor. He graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia and an MBA from Duke University, according to the page.
"The greatest gifts and takeaways I possess from my many years within higher education are the many kind & positive comments students made regarding my instruction and disposition toward them," Polito wrote on the page.
On his personal website, Polito lists various courses he apparently taught at East Carolina University and other institutions.
He wrote about visiting Las Vegas numerous times on the website, although it is not clear when, and posted numerous links to travel guides and websites for hotels and clubs in the city.
"Hard to believe, looking back, but I had the pleasure of making more than two dozen trips to Vegas over the last fifteen years," he wrote. "I don't gamble that much, but there is plenty to do there, that's for sure !! Over those years, my steel trap mind collected more information and trivia about Vegas than probably anyone in this state east of I-95 (at least)!"
Polito's website also features a section titled "Theories Regarding Various Mysteries & Puzzles." There, he published a 15-page document about the Zodiac Killer, claiming to have decoded some of the infamous serial killer's cryptic messages.
UNLV Police Chief Adam Garcia said the gunman had opened fire on the fourth floor of the building that houses UNLV's Lee Business School at about 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday, before going to several other floors.
Three people were killed, police said, and a fourth person who was shot was in stable condition at a hospital. Police did not immediately identify the victims, the attacker or the motive for the shooting.
The attacker was killed in a shootout with two university police detectives outside the building.
Update 12/7/23, 5:10 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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