LAS VEGAS — A man identified by ABC News sources as the suspect in Wednesday’s deadly shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has ties to Georgia.
Multiple law enforcement sources tell ABC News 67-year-old Anthony Polito is the suspect accused of killing three people and critically injuring one person.
Las Vegas police have not officially released his name but did confirm the suspect died in a shootout with two police detectives who responded to the scene.
ABC News learned Polito has previous ties to North Carolina and Georgia, including a LinkedIn page for Polito listing the University of Georgia under his education section.
On Thursday morning, school officials confirmed Polito received his Ph.D. at UGA in 2002.
Police have not said what motive is suspected behind the shooting. However, multiple sources tell ABC News Polito applied for a job at UNLV but was not hired. The Associated Press also confirmed with a law enforcement official the suspect sought a position at the school.
Three victims died in the shooting and a fourth victim was critically injured. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said in a news conference the fourth victim was upgraded to stable on Wednesday night.
Two officers were treated for minor injuries, McMahill said.
McMahill referred to the shooting on Wednesday “a heinous, unforgivable crime.”
“There was a gathering just outside of the building where the students were playing games and eating food,” he said. “There were tables set up for them to build Legos, and if it hadn’t been for the heroic actions of one of the police officers who responded, there could have been countless additional lives taken.”
The names of the victims have not been released. The campus will remain closed for the rest of the week as the investigation continues.
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