A shooting at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas (UNLV) left several victims this Wednesday, as reported by the metropolitan police on social networks. The authorities cordoned off the area at noon, minutes after those responsible for the educational center issued an emergency alert urging students to run, hide or fight if they encountered the shooter. The attacker has already been killed. “There is no longer a risk for students,” Kevin McMahill said at a press conference. All campuses of the state institution have been closed due to the emergency as a precautionary measure in the face of the umpteenth incident of armed violence in the country.
Sheriff McMahill has not specified the number of victims left by the shooting, although he did assure that there are people who “have been taken to hospitals.” He simply nodded when a journalist asked him if there were any deaths. The authorities will offer a new press conference at 5:00 p.m. in Las Vegas. The ABC network unofficially reports that there are at least three deaths.
The United States has once again witnessed scenes of panic in a school. The university authorities received a call around 11:45 (local time) in which someone warned of the presence of an armed individual in the facilities. The first emergency message reached the students at 11:54. “University Police respond to a shooting heard in Beam Hall,” the alert stated. “This is not a drill,” the university urgently stressed.
The first shots were heard in the building that houses the Lee Business School. Some witnesses have told local press that they heard at least 15 rapid bursts. The public university is located in the center of Las Vegas, just a few meters from the Harry Reid Airport and a few kilometers from the famous Strip, the main tourist artery of the city.
The first message was followed by two more. More than 20 minutes after the initial alarm, the police reported that the focus of the emergency had moved to the Student Union facilities. This building, to the east, is adjacent to the Business School. The bullets left several broken windows there, according to the students. UNLV is the largest in the State of Nevada. Last year it had 25,000 students enrolled.
The shooting prompted a large deployment of police. Numerous patrols arrived at the university minutes after the emergency was declared. Helicopters and tactical teams, known as SWAT, also arrived at the scene. Videos taken by students who managed to leave the classrooms showed police running with rifles in hand.
Join EL PAÍS to follow all the news and read without limits.
Subscribe
There were moments of great tension inside the classrooms. A junior told local CBS that his sister, who was inside the university during the shooting, was locked up. “Her teacher closed the door and they don’t let anyone in. They are all silent. “She is very scared,” said the boy. Other journalists read text messages where students wrote to their families to say goodbye in case they didn’t make it out of the shooting alive.
Some versions have stated that there was more than one shooter, something that has not been corroborated by the police. On local television, witnesses claimed to have heard gunshots after the main suspect was killed. Students who were allowed to vacate classrooms emerged with their hands up, videos show published on social networks.
Follow all the international information on Facebook and xor in our weekly newsletter.
#Shooting #University #Las #Vegas #leaves #victims