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TWO victims of the tragic Las Vegas mass shooting that left three dead on Wednesday have now been identified.
Patricia Navarro, 39, and Professor Cha Han “Jerry” Chang, 64, were killed in the shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, according to the Clark County coroner’s office.
Navarro was first identified as one of the victims of the horrific shooting by the California All-Stars Las Vegas Cheer Gym, which shared a tribute in an Instagram post on Thursday.
“Our hearts are shattered as we share the devastating news of the loss of a beloved member of our Cali family in yesterday’s senseless shooting,” the post read.
“Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to the Navarro family during this unimaginably difficult time.”
The cheer gym offered support specifically for an apparent family member of Navarro, who later appeared to share an image of the professor on her Instagram story.
“You didn’t deserve this, I love you,” the post said.
Navarro was an assistant professor within the university’s accounting department, according to the UNLV website.
Chang, of Henderson, Nevada, was also later identified as one of the three victims by the Clark County coroner’s office.
Chang, who had been teaching at UNLV since 2001, died from a gunshot wound to the head.
The coroner’s office is working to identify the next of kin of the third victim.
SHOOTER IDENTIFIED
Police have said the shooting suspect was semi-retired 67-year-old professor Anthony Polito.
Polito, 67, was killed by officers following reports of shots fired on the campus.
Investigators said they believe that Polito was recently denied a job at UNLV.
On Wednesday morning, the suspect started shooting on the fourth floor of Beam Hall before continuing on multiple floors.
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The suspect then exited Beam Hall and was immediately met by a UNLV police officer.
During a shootout, the school officer struck the suspect and killed him.
At the time of the shooting, the university sent a text out to all students once the shooter on campus was confirmed and informed everyone: “This is not a drill. Run, Hide, Fight.”
Police did not immediately identify a motive for the attack, but have obtained his phone and have searched a residence believed to be his home in Henderson, Nevada.
In a press conference on Thursday evening, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said detectives discovered that Polito had went to the post office to send over 22 letters to universities around the United States, per local NBC affiliate KSNV.
CITY’S PAIN
UNLV Boyd law student Josh Lozano exclusively told The U.S. Sun he was taking a final when the gunman stormed into campus and opened fire.
Lozano, who is studying to become a lawyer, was an undergrad student at the college when 60 people were killed and nearly 500 others injured at a Route 91 concert by the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino six years ago.
“It felt as if everyone knew someone directly affected by it,” Lozano said.
“It was traumatic for the community, but we rallied together from it.”
On the day of the UNLV shooting, he said he could feel a similar concern yet a sense of resignation among those on campus.
“Today, it seemed as though there was a genuine concern among people for each other and the safety of our UNLV community,” he said.
“At the same time, there was a sense of resignation, an acceptance of the situation as it is.
“This is just my experience, and I know it may be vastly different for others.”
Lozano said he could hear the gunshots while taking the test.
The law student had to be picked up about a mile away from campus.
“I could hear sirens and gunshots during the exam, but I didn’t think they were gunshots at the time,” Lozano said.
“While waiting to be evacuated, you’d hear a range of things like, ‘I knew this was going to happen at some point,’ or, ‘This happened to my friend at another university, and this is how the school handled it.’”
