Newly released bodycam footage revealed that the Las Vegas authorities mistaken a mass shooter for a bystander, the New York Post reported Thursday.
Police mistakenly urged the alleged gunman responsible for a mass shooting to flee, as seen on the bodycam video. The footage, spanning over five hours, captures the confusion of the officers during the Dec. 6 massacre, which claimed the lives of three professors and left another injured, according to the New York Post. The victims were 69-year-old Naoko Takemaru, 64-year-old Cha Jan “Jerry” Chang, and 39-year-old Patricia Navarro Velez. A 38-year-old professor, whose identity remains undisclosed, was also wounded in the attack.
The suspect, identified as 67-year-old Anthony Polito, was a former professor allegedly disgruntled after being denied a teaching position, according to WPLG-TV News. He was clad in a long, black trench coat during the chaos. Bodycam footage shows a Las Vegas police officer shouting from a second-floor balcony and instructing him to evacuate the area. Polito did not respond and proceeded towards what would become his final confrontation with the police. (RELATED: One Person Injured As Police Investigate School Shooting)
Cops mistook UNLV gunman Anthony Polito for bystander during massacre, new bodycam shows: ‘Get out, get out!’ https://t.co/BSIwnGnBm9 pic.twitter.com/WsDkFpYD70
— New York Post (@nypost) December 22, 2023
County Undersheriff Andrew Walsh confirmed to the Associated Press the brief encounter with Polito, noting that the officers lacked a clear description of the shooter at the time, the New York Post noted. “They don’t have a description of the shooter at the time,” he said. “And they know there are other police sources on the first floor.”
The Las Vegas Metro Police Department’s extensive bodycam compilation reveals officers arriving on campus around 11:45 a.m., immediately after the shooting began, the New York Post reported. The footage details their search through the university’s corridors, with officers checking doors and warning each other to proceed with caution, aware that the shooter was still at large.
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill confirmed that Polito was heavily armed with a handgun and an ample supply of ammunition. Polito allegedly had a list targeting specific UNLV faculty members, WPLG-TV News reported.