At least 3 killed on UNLV campus, suspect dead

UNLV student Ryan Allison was getting ready to leave work for the day in a building on campus shortly before noon.

“I opened the door. That’s what I just heard shots,” Allison, who was in the building next to where today’s shooting took place, said next his mother as they left a reunification center.

“I just did what everybody else did, just tried to hide to safety,” he said. They stayed behind cement walls with doors locked and the windows covered.

“I grew up in stuff like that back in L.A. as a kid. I’ve seen it in middle school, I’ve seen it in high school, but I’ve never seen it in college,” Allison said.

Iana Solorzano was in the commons eating when she and others saw people running. By the time they tried to leave, they were prevented. She said they spent two hours waiting in the back of a kitchen.

“Just people crying and calling their parents,” she said. She also called her parents, telling them “that I loved them and that I wanted to go home.”

UNLV students are being allowed back to their campus housing tonight, the university said, following a deadly shooting and orders to remain sheltered in place during the crisis.

"We will ensure they have access to food and other essential services. There will continue to be a strong police presence on campus," the university said on X.

The president of UNLV tonight shared his shock and sadness after the shooting on the campus, which left three victims dead, as well as the gunman.

“Today is a tragic day for UNLV. It is with the utmost sadness and grief that I am writing to you about a shooting that took place late this morning on our campus — our home,” President Keith E. Whitfield said in a statement. “We’re all still in shock as we process the unfathomable event.”

One victim was initially in critical condition but was later stable, Las Vegas police said earlier today.

There is no threat to the campus, police said. The gunman, who has not been identified, is dead.

Some Las Vegas hotel and casino properties tonight showed messages of support after the shooting at UNLV.

On the Las Vegas Strip, MGM, New York-New York and other hotels changed their marquees to "#VegasStrong" and "#UNLVStrong."

The Hilton in Resorts World Las Vegas had the same message on the side of its 59-story building, helicopter video showed. The STRAT hotel and casino, too, used the hashtags on its marquee.

The signs were reminiscent of those after the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip, where a gunman opened fire on the crowd from a hotel window.

After that shooting, signs across the strip went dark with messages of solidarity and condolences, including using the term “Vegas strong.”

Brett Johnsen, a junior at UNLV, was in class on the second floor of Beam Hall when gunfire broke out inside the building.

He said that after he heard a loud noise outside — which he doesn't think was a gunshot — his professor resumed lecturing until a loud alarm blared through the building just seconds later.

The professor opened the door briefly to look outside, Johnsen said, and the professor's face "turned to panic," Johnsen said, noting that he doesn't know exactly what the lecturer saw.

The professor then locked all the doors and told the class to get on the ground. Thirty seconds later, the professor opened the door to look around and see whether it was safe for the students to leave the classroom, Johnsen recalled.

"That's when he told us to run as fast as we can get out," Johnsen said. They all ran out as fast as possible. He made it to the Chipotle across the street and watched the entire event unfold from there.

Johnsen said he was "super grateful" his professor let them run out of the building when he did.

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman called today's shooting at UNLV "a tragic time for us" and said now is the time to make changes.

"But it’s a time to make it a positive and do something. We must fix this now," Goodman said.

She said she had someone "very close" to her on campus at the time of the shooting, and she thanked law enforcement, first responders and UNLV security for responding so quickly and making the lockdown "bearable" for students and professors in fear.

“It’s a very difficult time, and it’s time for us as the adults — enough. It is enough," Goodman said. "And it is people filled with anger or not understanding how to handle disappointment in their lives that they become even more hateful and full of anger that they take lives of others."

Las Vegas Police Sheriff Kevin McMahill lauded the swift efforts of responders, saying they prevented what could have been an even greater loss of life on the UNLV campus this afternoon.

Students were gathered just outside Beam Hall "playing games and eating food" at the time of the shooting, McMahill said. Tables were set up outside for them to "build Legos."

"If it hadn't been for the heroic actions of one of those police officers who responded, there could have been countless additional lives taken," McMahill said, adding that "armed confrontation of the suspect by law enforcement stopped the suspect's further actions."

Clark County Commission Chairman Jim Gibson echoed McMahill's sentiments at a news conference.

“Without the incredibly well-trained and effective response provided, a whole lot worse situation could have happened,” Gibson said.  

UNLV will be closed for the rest of today, tomorrow and Friday, University Police Chief Adam Garcia said at a news conference.

He said "additional determinations" will be made as to whether the school will reopen next week, which is finals week.

The suspect in the UNLV shootings died in a shootout with police, University Police Chief Adam Garcia said at a news conference.

Garcia said university police responded to calls of shots fired on campus at about 11:45 a.m. local time. Two university police detectives responded and "immediately engaged the suspect in a shootout."

The suspect was struck and is dead, Garcia said.

The shooting originated on the fourth floor of Beam Hall, a building on campus, Las Vegas Police Sheriff Kevin McMahill said.

It went to "multiple floors," McMahill said, before the suspect was "neutralized" outside the building.

There were no immediate details about the gun used by the shooter.

Three law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation say the deceased suspect in the UNLV shooting, which killed at least three people, is a man in his 60s.

There was no immediate information about the suspect’s identity or motive or why he chose to carry out the shooting at UNLV.

President Joe Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden are praying for the families of the victims killed at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, today, and in Texas yesterday.

Biden said in a statement that UNLV “became the latest college campus to be terrorized by a horrific act of gun violence, and the community is still awaiting information on casualties.”

“Jill and I join citizens across our nation in praying for the families of our fallen, and for those who were injured during these latest acts of senseless violence," Biden said.

“We are also grateful for the courageous work of law enforcement — who risked their own safety to bring an end to these deadly shooting sprees,” the president said.

In Texas, six people were found killed and three others were injured Tuesday in shootings in two separate communities.

"This year alone, our nation has experienced more than 600 mass shootings, and approximately 40,000 deaths due to gun violence," Biden said. "This is not normal, and we can never let it become normal."

At least three people are dead in the UNLV campus shooting, Las Vegas police said on X.

One additional victim is in stable condition at a Sunrise Hospital, LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a press conference.

Four additional people were transported to local hospitals for panic attacks, and two officers were treated at University Medical Center for minor injuries, McMahill said.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has been briefed on the shooting at the UNLV campus today, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice said.

“The Attorney General has been briefed and is monitoring the situation. ATF and FBI are on the scene and stand ready to assist our local partners,” the spokesperson said.

The shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, that had students and faculty shelter in place occurred on the same day that a vigil was planned to honor the memory of two Nevada state troopers, and less than a week after a deadly shooting at a homeless encampment.

The vigil, scheduled for Nevada State Police Sgt. Michael Abbate and Trooper Alberto Felix at Allegiant Stadium, was called off in light of the the UNLV shooting, officials said.

The event, organized by the Injured Police Officer’s Fund, was supposed to start at 5:30 p.m. local time.

“The IPOF regrets the decision but feels it’s in the best interest of the community,” according to a Clark County statement.

Abbate and Felix were checking on a driver who appeared to be sleeping in his car on Interstate 15 when they were fatally struck by an alleged drunken driver.

On Friday night, one person was killed in a shooting at a homeless encampment, police said. Four other people were injured.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona acknowledged the UNLV shooting at the White House Tribal Nations Summit this afternoon.

"We don’t have all the information, we know there are several victims,” he said.

He said the Department of Education will reach out to the school and will support the school in "the best way we can."

"I wanna extend the thoughts with that community and commit once again to doing everything we can to improve school safety, which is our No. 1 priority," Cardona said. "And I know you will join me in saying prayer tonight for the families and the community.'

Assistant UNLV professor Robert Lovato said he and colleagues were supposed to attend a meeting right next to where today’s shooting on campus took place.

“We were preparing our stuff and then suddenly heard like semi-automatic weapons firing, at a very fast clip,” Lovato said in a live phone interview with NBC News. “Then we got word that there was an active shooter, and we were told to lock down and so we did precisely that.”

It’s around a four-minute walk to where the shooting occurred, he said. Everyone was safe where he was sheltering.

“We’re praying for whoever was there,” Lovato said.

The mother of an UNLV student said she "ran out of work" and to the school as soon as she started getting text message alerts from the university that there was an active shooter on campus.

She said her daughter wasn't answering texts and calls, which was "scary." Her daughter eventually called and, through tears, said she was in a dorm, but a bit later she was moved to a different room with all of the lights off, the mom told NBC News.

Her daughter said she "heard the gunshots, she heard the screaming."

President Joe Biden was already set to visit Las Vegas this Friday to deliver remarks on infrastructure.

The shooting at UNLV today has not changed the president's travel plans.

Following his time in Las Vegas, Biden is set to travel to Los Angeles for the weekend.

Finance junior Connor Friedman, 20, said he heard the shots as he was leaving the business building with a friend.

He said that at first he thought they were construction noises, so he wasn’t concerned.

“Then a couple of minutes went by and someone said there’s an active shooter. And then that’s when I started like running,” Friedman said.

He said it took between five and 10 minutes to get confirmation of the shooting.

“It didn’t even feel real at first. It felt like they were lying about the shooting. ... Now it’s like, 'Wow, people died at my school, in my building, and I was there just a few minutes ago.'”

The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels basketball game at the University of Dayton was called off in light of the shooting back home, officials said.

"Due to the tragic events unfolding on UNLV’s campus, tonight’s men’s basketball contest between UNLV and the University of Dayton will not be played," according to a University of Dayton statement. "Further information will be released when available. We ask that our fans keep the UNLV community in their thoughts and prayers."

The Rebels-Flyers game had been set to tip off at 9 p.m. ET at the University of Dayton Arena.

Police responded to reports of an active shooting at UNLV this afternoon at Beam Hall and the Student Union on campus.

There are at least three victims of the shooting, police said, adding the suspect is dead.

The number of victims could change, though, as the extent of injuries remains unknown.

There are at least three victims of the UNLV shooting, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said.

He added that the number of victims could change and the extent of injuries remains unknown.

McMahill also said there is no more threat to the community and that the suspect is dead.

The Sunrise Hospital Trauma Center received three patients from the UNLV shooting this afternoon, hospital spokesperson Marissa Mussi said in a statement.

The hospital is just under 4 miles south of campus.

"Our hearts go out to the UNLV community, their families and everyone impacted by this tragedy," the statement said.

The University Medical Center Hospital said they did not receive any patients from the shooting.

When there was a mass shooting at Morgan State University in Maryland in October, prompting students to shelter in place, there was some talk that students were “post-Columbine kids,” used to doing mass shooting drills, professor Jason Johnson said today.

But “they’re not OK, they’re not going to be OK,” Johnson, professor at Morgan State’s School of Global Journalism and Communication, said on MSNBC after the shooting at UNLV.

“The impact of this kind of violence is so extreme on the faculty, on the staff, on the feelings of everybody, and it lingers,” Johnson said.

“These kids have lost their safety,” he said. “There’s a college freshman there who has left their home for the first time, who’s never going to feel safe on that campus again.”

The investigation into the UNLV campus shooting is being run by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the University Police Services - Southern Command.

The FBI and U.S. Marshals Service will be assisting the investigation.

Students in a building on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, described getting down and trying to reach loved ones as there was an active shooter incident with victims on campus today.

They were in a large class doing presentations when the shooting and warnings to shelter in place occurred.

“It was kind of overwhelming, thinking if they got in,” one student said.

Police set up a hotline for people affected by the shooting on the UNLV campus.

"You can call 702-455-AIDE (2433) for reunification and victim services," the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said in a post on X.

In a post on X, the speaker of the Nevada Assembly said he was "grateful" for the police response.

A reunification center for students is being set up at the Las Vegas Convention Center North Hall as they evacuate the UNLV campus, police said at a news conference.

The convention center is about 2 1/2 miles north of Beam Hall at UNLV.

Police with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department reiterated that there is no known motive for the UNLV campus shooting.

There is no additional threat at this time, police said.

Vincent Perez, an English professor at UNLV who has been sheltering in place since gunfire rang out on campus, described hearing seven or eight loud shots, "one after another," when he went out to the balcony of a building.

"We heard that [and] we ran back inside," Perez told MSNBC's Katy Tur. "We realize this is a real shooting, and there’s an active shooter on campus."

"It just sounded like a high-powered weapon — just echoing, echoing in a way that ... makes you realize this is somebody out to kill people," Perez added.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo said on X that his office is in "constant communication" with UNLV and local law enforcement.

He asked those on campus to follow the instructions of law enforcement as they evacuate the campus.

Multiple people, including the suspected shooter, were killed this afternoon as a result of a shooting on UNLV's campus, two senior law enforcement officials said.

The total number of those killed was not immediately clear.

Students in a journalism class at UNLV looked through a window briefly as they sheltered in place during the active shooter situation, but one student said they were scared to linger too long.

“We only looked through the windows for a couple minutes, because ... we were nervous if he could shoot up there or not,” a student, Matthew, told reporters on the Las Vegas campus.

Around 13 students and a professor sheltered in the classroom, he said.

“We did hear a bunch of cops coming in, and we didn’t know what to do, so we just stayed away from the door,” he said in remarks broadcast by NBC affiliate KSNV of Las Vegas.

The police arrived and moved people out of the classroom quickly. He did not see anyone injured.

“This is the most police I’ve ever seen,” the student said. “I’m glad to know that they’re here.”

The College of Southern Nevada closed all of its campuses "effective immediately" following an on-campus shooting at UNLV.

It asked members on campus to "calmly and safely evacuate" in a post on X.

CSN is about 10 miles north of UNLV.

The FBI has arrived on scene of the UNLV campus shooting and is assisting law enforcement.

Paradise Road is closed in both directions at Harmon Avenue to Russell Road, police said on X.

Tropicana Avenue is closed in both directions at Las Vegas Boulevard to Maryland Parkway.

Maryland Parkway is closed in both directions from Flamingo Road to Tropicana Avenue.

People are asked to avoid the areas.

Meanwhile, northbound Interstate 15, which was closed from Blue Diamond Road to Charleston Boulevard to make way for first responders, has reopened.

The I-15 off-ramp for Tropicana Avenue to go eastbound remains closed.

The deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history took place in Las Vegas in October 2017 when a gunman opened fire on the Harvest Music Festival on the Las Vegas Strip from his hotel room.

That shooting, which happened about 3 miles from Beam Hall at UNLV, claimed 59 lives and injured more than 500.

Brett Forrest, a reporter for NBC affiliate KSNV of Las Vegas, was on campus during the shooting.

People were "running into the building we're at and saying there's a shooter and that we had to stay inside," he said, adding that he'd been sheltering in place for about an hour.

"I'm honestly a little shaken by it all," he said. "... It is disturbing and it's unfortunate."

Police are evacuating buildings on the campus of UNLV "one at a time," according to a post from UNLV on X.

Police are continuing to ask those on campus to shelter in place as they continue to investigate.

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said in a post on X that the news coming out of UNLV is "tragic and heartbreaking."

Reports of an active shooting on UNLV's campus broke this afternoon.

"Praying for everyone on campus as law enforcement responds to the situation," Goodman said.

Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., who represents a part of Las Vegas, and Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., whose district includes UNLV, urged people on campus to evacuate the area and find safe spaces in posts on X.

Both said they are monitoring reports of an active shooting on campus and are working with law enforcement.

Lee said she is "horrified" by reports of a shooting.

Beam Hall is one of UNLV's main instructional buildings with classes from a host of schools held there every day.

The Lee Business School calls Beam Hall, comprised of lecture hall-style classrooms with single entrances, its home base.

The building sits in the heart of UNLV and is two floors tall with an open-air center.

UNLV is asking people on campus to shelter in place despite police reports that the suspect has been contained and is dead.

The school added that this is an active investigation into a shooting that broke out this afternoon.

Ken Dilanian gives an update on MSNBC about what’s happening at University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The Federal Aviation Administration has placed a ground stop at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas after reports of an active shooting on the campus of UNLV.

Democratic Sens. Jacky Rosen and Cortez Masto said they are in touch with local law enforcement and is monitoring reports about the active shooting at UNLV.

Both Rosen and Masto encouraged people to stay away from the area and to listen to law enforcement in posts on X.

The suspect involved in UNLV campus shooting has been located and is dead, Las Vegas police said in a post on X. It's not immediately clear if the suspect died of a self-inflicted wound or was shot by authorities.

The suspect in the active shooting on UNLV's campus has been contained, Las Vegas police said on X.

Police said to avoid the area and that the investigation is ongoing.

University police are responding to additional shots fired at the UNLV Student Union, the school said on X.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said the active shooter was near Beam Hall and that there appears to be multiple victims at this time.

University police are responding to an active shooter on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The school posted on X that there is a confirmed active shooter on campus. Police were responding after getting reports of shots fired.