Share this @internewscast.com

From beneath her desk, one caller quietly reported to an emergency dispatcher through heavy breaths and stifled sobs, “Someone’s shooting.”

Another caller, who’d locked himself in a nearby office, matter-of-factly described seeing an unfamiliar man just before a half dozen shots rang out on the fourth floor of Beam Hall on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus.

“I just saw a man who I don’t usually see on the fourth floor,” he told a dispatcher during a call that captured the sounds of apparent gunfire in the background.

More than two hours of audio recordings of the real-time 911 calls from UNLV students, employees and their loved ones captured the sheer panic of the moment as a shooting unfolded that left three people dead and another person wounded.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department released the recordings Friday in response to a public records request from NBC News. Names of the callers were redacted from the recordings.

Officers responding to emergency calls from the campus confronted and shot the gunman, later identified as Anthony Polito, 67.

Polito, a former professor in North Carolina, had applied for a teaching job at UNLV in 2020, but wasn’t hired, officials said.

The three deceased victims all taught at the university. They were identified as Cha-Jan “Jerry” Chang, 64, a business professor; Patricia Navarro-Velez, 39, an assistant professor of accounting, and Naoko Takemaru, 69, an associate professor of Japanese studies.

Several of the recordings released Friday captured emergency calls placed from people taking cover on the fourth floor of Beam Hall in the Lee School of Business, where authorities said the shooting began before the gunman made his way to “multiple” other floors throughout the building.

In the earliest call, logged at 11:44 a.m., a man who described himself as a graduate assistant calmly described seeing a man who he didn’t recognize in the hallways of the campus building just before hearing a half-dozen gunshots and screams.

“About 6’4,” heavy-set, white male,” he said. “I assume lighter hair, but not sure.”

“Do you know if anybody’s injured?” the dispatcher asked him.

“I would assume so, based off of the screams,” the caller said.

The caller reported that he and another person were hiding in a locked accounting office on the same floor. When the dispatcher asked him if he could blockade the office’s door, he responded: “I’m not going to make any noise because this office has many windows.”

In another call, logged less than 30 seconds later, a woman hiding in a different room on the same floor told a dispatcher that she also saw a man that she didn’t recognize in the hallway just after gunshots erupted.

“How long ago did you hear the shots happening,” the dispatcher asked.

“They’re happening right now,” the woman sobbed.

“How many shots have you heard?”

“Like, like five. I’m hiding under my desk. I closed my door, it’s locked.”

In another call at 11:45 a.m, a 37-year-old woman whispered that she was hiding in a break room while a group of several others were taking cover in the conference room next door. Midway through her conversation, a fire alarm sounded and it blared in the background for the remainder of the call.

Throughout the 911 calls, dispatchers attempted to keep panicking callers calm. They offered suggestions to blockade doors, if possible, and they assured them multiple officers were on their way to help. Several of the recordings included calls from people off-campus who said they’d received urgent calls from loved ones hunkered down at the university.

One woman told a dispatcher her husband had phoned and directed her to “just call the police and let them know” that he and a group of others were hiding in Room 418 of the business school, just next to the elevators.

“They can hear the gunshots,” the woman said.

“Okay, and does it sounds close?” a dispatcher asked.

“He didn’t tell me, he hung up quickly,” the woman said. “Can I give you his phone number and you can call him?”

“I’m not going to call him, because it could put him in danger,” the dispatcher said.

Another caller, dialed 911 as he was still running out of Beam Hall.

“I just stepped out of the elevator, I heard the shots fired and I heard screaming and I ran,” he said through heavy breaths.

During his six minute call, the man told the dispatcher he had managed to run outside of the building just as arriving officers were running in.

“Do you still hear gunshots,” the dispatcher asked him.

“I don’t,” he said. “I’m just telling people outside to take cover in case the person comes out.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Amazon to Invest $4 Billion to Speed Up Rural Delivery

Amazon Plans $4 Billion Investment to Enhance Rural Delivery Speed

The convenience of online shopping paired with fast, free delivery services like…
Midair parachute collision leads to tragedy for experienced skydiver

Tragic Outcome for Skilled Skydiver in Midair Parachute Accident

An experienced skydiver is dead after her parachute struck another jumper at…
Jacksonville to welcome new UF graduate campus after unanimous city council vote

Jacksonville Set to Host New UF Graduate Campus Following Unanimous City Council Approval

Jacksonville city officials and University of Florida trustees believe that this campus…
Royal Netherlands Marine Corps member inspecting a weapon.

UK Urged to Brace for Potential Homeland Conflict Amid Rising Tensions with Iran, Russia, and China, Ministers Advised

BRITAIN must prepare for war on home soil for the first time…
Warning to antidepressant users as temperatures hit 100 degrees

Alert for Antidepressant Users: What to Know as Temperatures Soar to 100 Degrees

Can’t take the heat? Your medication might be to blame.  Physicians caution…
Headshot of Kevin Costner.

Stuntwoman’s Lawsuit Against Kevin Costner Reveals Disturbing New Texts on Alleged ‘Unscripted’ Scene and ‘Abuse of Power’

A stuntwoman has amended her lawsuit against Kevin Costner, originally accusing him…
Chicago police officer funeral: Friends, family to say goodbye to Krystal Rivera, police officer killed in Chatham shooting

Funeral Held for Chicago Police Officer: Friends and Family Mourn Krystal Rivera, Killed in Chatham Shooting

CHICAGO (WLS) — Loved ones will join police in saying goodbye at…
Marvel’s ‘Ironheart’ Complete Cast Guide: Who Plays All The Characters In The New Disney+ Series

Marvel’s ‘Ironheart’: A Guide to the Full Cast and Their Characters in the New Disney+ Show

New Marvel Cinematic Universe show, new cast of characters… and Ironheart sure…
Jacksonville DUI civil case ends with 8-figure verdict, 12-year prison sentence

Jacksonville DUI Civil Case Concludes with Eight-Figure Verdict, 12-Year Prison Term

A closer look at a tragic DUI case in Jacksonville that ended…
Illustration of Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment plant and Pickaxe Mountain, highlighting its depth and security compared to sites damaged by US bombs.

Unreachable Iranian Stronghold: Concerns Over ‘Pickaxe’ Mountain as a Secure Nuclear Haven

While TRUMP purportedly “obliterated” Iran’s infamous Fordow facility, concerns linger that the…
Couple and dog posing on a road in a mountainous area.

29-Year-Old Newlywed Tragically Killed by Uncommon Weather Event During Postponed Beach Honeymoon

A 29-year-old newlywed on his honeymoon was killed by a freak weather…
Volunteers use the universal language of music to soothe stressed shelter animals

Volunteers Calm Anxious Shelter Animals with Music Therapy

DENVER (AP) — It’s often said music is the universal language of…