Disgruntled professor who went on university shooting spree had target list, 150 rounds; mailed letters with white powder

A semi-retired professor carried out a cowardly attack at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas Wednesday, killing three and critically injuring a fourth victim. Campus police acted swiftly, bringing his rampage to an end and ensuring the professor's retirement was permanent.

Had it not been for the swift and unflinching intervention by police, it appears a great deal more blood would have been spilled.

New details have emerged about the attack, revealing the gunman had a lengthy kill list and 150 rounds of ammunition to see it through.

Police confirmed Thursday that the shooter was the 67-year-old academic who Blaze News previously indicated worked as an associate professor at East Carolina University in North Carolina from 2001 until 2017. Although the shooter received a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Georgia, he primarily taught business classes.

The Associated Press reported that the shooter recently had an adjunct faculty contract at Roseman University of Health Sciences in Henderson, teaching two courses in the school's now-defunct MBA program from October 2018 until June 2022.

The shooter, who cited George Soros and Karl Popper as among the "Great Minds of the Twentieth Century" on his personal website, reportedly applied for a professorship at UNLV but was unsuccessful. Officials indicated he had also been rejected from various other colleges and universities.

The shooter had a previous criminal history in Virginia for computer trespass In 1992.

According to Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill, the shooter arrived at the campus Wednesday in a 2007 Lexus just before 11:30 a.m. and parked in a lot south of the business school. The shooter exited his car, armed with a 9mm Taurus handgun and carrying a total of eleven loaded magazines, nine of which were later found on his corpse.

Three minutes later, he entered Beam Hall, where the Lee Business School operates. While it was initially reported that he began his rampage on the fourth floor of the building, police indicated it started on the fifth floor, where a 38-year-old visiting professor was shot and left with life-threatening injuries.

The visiting professor managed to make it downstairs and was rushed by police to a community ambulance, which then took him to Sunrise Hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

The bodies of two victims were discovered on the third floor, and a third victim was found on the fourth floor.

The Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner released the names of two of the victims: professor Cha Jan Chang, 64, of Henderson, and assistant professor Patricia Navarro Velez, 39, of Las Vegas. The third victim has been identified, but officials are waiting to disclose the name until they've notified the victim's next of kin.

Chang taught management information systems at the UNLV Lee Business school for over 20 years. Velez began working at the university five years ago and primarily taught accounting information systems. She was also conducting research on cybersecurity disclosures and data analytics.

Police received the first report of an active shooter around 11:45 a.m.. It appears there was no hesitation on the part of metropolitan and campus police to take quick and definitive action. UNLV Police Chief Adam Garcia indicated that the first campus police officer arrived within 78 seconds of the initial report.

Officers ultimately intercepted the gunman at 11:55 a.m. as he was exiting Beam Hall. According to officials, he "shot at the officers causing the UNLV officers to return fire." The campus police officers neutralized the threat, landing multiple shots.

Detectives found a list of possible targeted individuals on the shooter's body, which did not include those he had shot.

"None of the individuals on the target list became a victim," said McMahill.

Sheriff McMahill noted that the apparent kill list named faculty members from UNLV as well as East Carolina University in North Carolina where the shooter previously taught. Law enforcement officials have contacted all of the potential targets with the exception of one person who was on an international flight.

Upon examining the footage from the dashcam in the shooter's Lexus, detectives were also able to determine that the disgruntled professor had "dropped off 22 pieces of mail to various university personnel" across the United States with no return address.

Some of the letters reportedly contained an unknown white powder, which was later deemed harmless.

While police are still looking into possible motives, McMahill indicated that investigators found an eviction notice taped to the shooter's front door and a document "similar to a last will and testament" clearly demarcated inside the Henderson residence.

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