UNLV mass shooting suspect had 2 laminated cards with details about targets including photos, room numbers: New report

(NEW YORK) — When a former college professor opened fire at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, last month, killing three faculty members and injuring one, he had with him two laminated cards with details about his targets, according to a new confidential law enforcement investigative synopsis obtained by ABC News.

The Jan. 26 synopsis included new investigative details compiled by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. It revealed suspect Anthony Polito, 67, had a blood-stained, yellow, two-sided index card with job titles and room numbers, as well as a second, white, laminated card with employee photos, room numbers and crude comments written on it.

Polito died at the scene of the Dec. 6 shooting after a firefight with officers, about 10 minutes after shots were first reported at UNLV’s Beam Hall.

The investigative report said all but one of 22 white powder letters Polito allegedly sent to university workers across the country were intended for people related to his professional and academic background, but the one exception was a vehicle insurance claims supervisor.

In the letters sent to women, Polito allegedly called them derogatory names and made sexual allegations. He claimed one woman demanded that he and other faculty wore neckties because they were a sign of “male patriarchy,” the report said.

The powders were not harmful, police said.

Polito had applied to numerous colleges and was denied employment, authorities said.

Polito’s personal website was full of highlights about his career and life, including his intelligence, the report said. Law enforcement believes Polito’s attack was prompted by an inferiority complex and delusions of grandeur about himself, according to the investigative report. It is also believed he had grievances involving his career.

Polito used a legally purchased handgun in the mass shooting and was armed with more than 150 rounds of ammunition, according to authorities.

The UNLV employees killed were business professor Cha Jan Chang, assistant accounting professor Patricia Navarro Velez and associate professor of Japanese studies Naoko Takemaru.

 

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