On a tragic Wednesday, December 6, 2023, the city of Las Vegas was shaken by a senseless act of violence that claimed the life of 64-year-old Cha Jan "Jerry" Chang, a male professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. A longtime educator, Chang had been a fixture at the university since 2001, teaching in the Lee Business School's Management, Entrepreneurship & Technology department.
The day took a horrifying turn when a gunman opened fire in Frank and Estella Beam Hall on the university's campus.
The assailant was identified as 67-year-old Anthony Polito, a former professor who had unsuccessfully applied for a position at UNLV. Armed with a legally purchased 9 mm handgun, Polito roamed the third, fourth, and fifth floors of the business school building, targeting faculty members. In the chaos that ensued, Professor Chang was fatally wounded, succumbing to a gunshot wound to the head. Two other faculty members, Patricia Navarro-Velez and Naoko Takemaru, were also killed in the attack, and a fourth visiting professor was wounded.
The tragic event ended when Polito was confronted by UNLV police officers outside Beam Hall. An exchange of gunfire ensued, and Polito was shot and killed by the officers at the scene. As a result, there were no arrests made in connection with the deaths of Professor Chang and his colleagues. Investigators later found that Polito was carrying a list of targets at the university, though none of the individuals who were shot were on that list. An eviction notice was also found at his apartment, suggesting he was facing financial difficulties. The UNLV community was left to mourn the devastating loss of a dedicated educator and his fellow faculty members in the wake of the violent campus shooting.
