A shooting on the campus of the University of Nevada in Las Vegas yesterday left “multiple victims”, according to local police, in what is the umpteenth tragedy of its kind so far in 2023, the bloodiest in history of the United States since statistics exist. The perpetrator of the shooting, who has not yet been identified, was killed a little less than an hour later by the agents who responded to the area of the incident.
The first shots were heard in Beam Hall, the university’s Business Faculty, around 11:45 in the morning, and later scenes of panic were reproduced in the student union facilities. “We found out there were police on the scene and we just took cover until we were evacuated. It took them about 30 minutes to evacuate us,” one of the students, Jessica, told a local television station.
Up to 200 students from the university, the largest in the State of Nevada, locked themselves in a classroom until they could leave, according to another eyewitness. The White House confirmed that it is aware of the shooting and that it is being followed closely. President Joe Biden was scheduled to visit Las Vegas on Friday for a prior commitment.
The shooting occurred a few kilometers from the Strip, the most famous avenue in Las Vegas for its concentration of casinos, the scene of one of the worst massacres in the country’s history, committed by Stephen Paddock in 2017. It left 60 dead and 413 injured after firing over a thousand rounds of ammunition during a country music concert.