Las Vegas police on Wednesday (Dec 6) responded to the reports of a shooting rampage on the local campus of the University of Nevada.
The officials released a statement saying that the suspect was dead and that there were multiple victims of the incident.
The police later said that three people had lost their lives in the incident.
The officials added that another victim was in critical condition at a local hospital.
“According to our investigators at the scene, we have three deceased victims and one additional victim in critical condition at a local hospital,” the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department wrote on social media.
Earlier in the statement, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) urged the residents to avoid taking the route from that area without sharing information about the reason behind the shooting.
“No more threat to the community. The suspect is deceased. Right now, we know there are 3 victims, but unknown extent of the injuries. That number could change. We will update you when we know more,” the statement on LVMPD’s official X handle read.
URGENT: From Sheriff Kevin McMahill: “No more threat to the community. The suspect is deceased. Right now, we know there are 3 victims, but unknown extent of the injuries. That number could change. We will update you when we know more.” https://t.co/Y3jT9VcNFz
— LVMPD (@LVMPD) December 6, 2023
Vincent Perez, a professor at the school, told MSNBC telephonically that he had heard gunfire shots one after the other which were “very loud”.
“I would say just seven, eight shots, one after another, loud and very loud,” he said.
“As soon as we heard that, we ran back inside and we realized this is a real shooting, and there’s an active shooter on campus,” Perez said as he took shelter on campus.
Police said that the incident took place around Beam Hall, a campus building that houses the business school and other facilities, further adding, “There appears to be multiple victims at this time.”
In a separate posting on its official social media account, the campus police said that there was an additional report of shots fired in the Student Union.
The initial reports of the shooting surfaced around noon local time and within about half an hour, reported Las Vegas police, “The suspect has been located and is deceased.”
However, an online advisory was issued by the police underlining that an all-clear had not yet been given.
“Police ask that you continue to please shelter in place. Police are evacuating buildings one at a time. This remains an active investigation. The suspect has been contained,” the campus said on X.
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) campus, located less than two miles east of the Las Vegas Strip, has a student enrollment of some 25,000 undergraduates and 8,000 post-graduates and doctoral candidates, as per news agency Reuters.
The White House released a statement saying that it was monitoring the situation in Las Vegas.
(With inputs from agencies)
