Las Vegas shooter dead after killing 3 in campus assault on two buildings: Live updates

A shooter at UNLV sprayed bullets into crowds at two campus buildings during a lunchtime assault Wednesday that killed at least three and caused panic among students, who ran in horror from end-of-semester classes before the shooter died at the scene.

Another person is in critical condition, Las Vegas police said.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas confirmed shortly after noon local time on X there was an active shooter at the Frank and Estella Beam Hall, and the college said 20 minutes later that more shots were fired at the Student Union. Police confirmed a short while later that the suspect was dead. Police did not release any information on his identity or motive.

"There’s no further threat," said Kevin McMahill, sheriff of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. He said officers were still searching for other people who may have been hurt or killed.

"Officers are going unit by unit building by building . . . to make sure we don’t have any additional victims," McMahill said.

The university announced the campus and all Nevada System of Higher Education institutions in southern Nevada were closed for the rest of the day.

Adam Garcia, a vice president of public safety services and director of university police services at UNLV, said the campus will be closed through Friday. Garcia said the university will decide later whether to extend the closure, noting final exams were scheduled for next week.

The shooting happened in a city that was the site of one of the worst mass killings in U.S. history, the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting at the Mandalay Bay casino in Las Vegas. A gunman fired from his upper-level hotel room, killing 58 and wounding hundreds more.

Wednesday's assault brought widespread fear around the campus. There have been 630 mass shootings in the U.S. this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The archive defines a mass shooting as at least four victims shot, either injured or killed, not including the shooter. In 2022, there were 646 total mass shootings in the U.S.  

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo said state officials are in "constant communication" with UNLV and Las Vegas police. "If you are on campus, please continue to follow their instructions as the campus is evacuated," he posted on X.

President Biden says national mass shooting problem 'not normal'

President Joe Biden said the nation's mass shooting problem can never be regarded as normal. 

He urged Congress to pass bills banning assault weapons, and high-capacity magazines. It's unknown what type of gun the shooter used in Nevada. 

Biden also encouraged Congress to enact universal background checks, pass safe storage laws and other "commonsense measures" to thwart the spread of gun violence. 

"And together, we must do more to prevent more families, and more communities like Austin, San Antonio, and Las Vegas, from being ripped apart by gun violence," he wrote.