Anthony Polito: UNLV shooting was triggered by job rejection, say Las Vegas police

Anthony Polito, the UNLV gunman responsible for claiming three lives and injuring a fourth had reportedly applied for a job at the university, only to be turned down, as disclosed by two senior law enforcement officials familiar with the case. 

The investigation continues to delve into the motives behind this tragic incident, shedding light on the shooter's prior interactions with the institution. 

Law enforcement authorities have disclosed that the application submitted for a job as a professor at UNLV submitted by Polito dates back to 2020. 

As investigations unfold, the precise motive behind the tragic incident remains unclear.

Authorities are actively working to piece together the timeline and circumstances surrounding the shooter's employment history and to establish a comprehensive understanding of the events leading up to the shooting.

According to police, Anthony Polito, wrote 22 letters, at least one of which contained white powder, to campuses around the country before his attack, as per police.

Cops discovered a list of targets and a "last will" when investigating Anthony Polito's residence on Wednesday night, just hours after he killed three people on campus.

University police shot and killed the shooter, a 67-year-old former business professor.

On Thursday, it was learned that the shooter had mailed 22 letters from a post office before the attack.

According to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill, officials intercepted several of the envelopes and discovered an unknown white powder material inside one of them.

The white substance was eventually determined to be safe, but LVMPD advised anybody who gets mail with no return address to proceed with caution and call law enforcement immediately.

During their investigation, investigators discovered a list of targets that included names from UNLV and East Carolina University in North Carolina, where he worked for 16 years.

McMahill stated that everyone on the list had been reached, except one who was on an overseas aircraft.

Investigators told ABC News that Polito spent a few minutes hunting for the persons on his list before opening fire on additional victims who happened to be in the building.

“None of the individuals on the target list became a victim,” McMahill stressed.

Polito also penned a "last will and testament" type paper, which detectives discovered when investigating a residence in Henderson, Nevada, on Wednesday night, according to the sheriff.

It was discovered by a chair with an arrow pointing downward towards the text.

Before the shooting, the semi-retired professor applied to multiple higher education institutions in Nevada and was refused for each post, but the LVMPD has yet to determine a motive.

Police suspect the 67-year-old was struggling financially and acted alone in the horrific shooting on Wednesday.

McMahill revealed at the press conference that Polito carried 11 magazines and a nine-millimetre pistol he lawfully purchased in 2022 to the college campus.

This firearm was used to kill three people and wound four more.