The disgruntled professor who shot four faculty members at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, killing three of them, had apparently taken a powerful erectile dysfunction drug before going on the rampage.
Anthony Polito, 67, opened fire on the fourth floor of Lee Business School at 11.45am on 6 December, killing teachers Patricia Navarro Valez, 39; Cha Jan ‘Jerry’ Chang, 64; and Naomo Takemoru, 69, and seriously wounding a fourth.
He later died in a shootout with responding police.
A subsequent autopsy report revealed that Polito had tadalafil (the scientific name for Cialis) in his bloodstream. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas gunman Anthony Polito, 67, had oxycodone and erectile dysfunction drugs in his system when he was shot and killed by police in December.
Polito’s bloodstream tested positive for 84 nanograms per milliliter of Cialis.
Polito’s bloodstream tested positive for 84 nanograms per milliliter of the erectile dysfunction drug, which can last up to 36 hours in the body, according to the June 15 autopsy report.
He also tested positive for oxycodone, with 15 nanograms per milliliter in his bloodstream, well below the U.S. Department of Transportation’s testing threshold of 100 nanograms per milliliter for urinalysis.
Neither Cialis nor oxycodone increases risky behavior the way alcohol does, Matthew Johnson, a Johns Hopkins University specialist who studies the psychological effects of drugs, told the Review-Journal.
He also noted that it is unclear whether Polito took oxycodone shortly before his death or had taken a large amount in the past.
Polito attacked the university’s business school after he allegedly felt abandoned when he was turned down for a job opportunity.
The shooting prompted a large police presence on the Las Vegas campus.
Polito is believed to have opened fire on the Las Vegas campus after feeling neglected after being rejected from a teaching position at the school.
His former students said he was obsessed with Sin City and had applied for several jobs at various Nevada universities but was denied each time.
On the day of the attack, police said Polito walked through several floors of the business school before he was killed in a shootout with two university officers outside the building.
The officers were later identified as Detective Nathaniel Drum, who has worked with University Police Services since 2017, and Officer Damien Garcia, who has been on the force since 2018.
“These two officers are heroes,” Adam Garcia, police chief of the University Police Services Southern Command, said after the incident.
“They prevented the worst from turning into a bloodbath.”
Naoko Takemaru, 69, an associate professor of Japanese studies, was killed in the shooting.
Patricia Navarro-Velez, an assistant professor in UNLV’s accounting department, and Jerry Changn (right) were also shot and killed by Polito.
Polito’s body was later found in front of the Frank and Estella Beam Hall, with a legally purchased 9mm pistol and 11 loaded magazines, and several bags containing nine additional magazines.
He was already armed with 150 rounds of ammunition, the Review-Journal reports.
Investigators also found what appeared to be a hit list: a laminated card with names and room numbers, according to the autopsy report.
Authorities announced in the days after the shooting that they had contacted everyone on the list except for one person who was on a flight.
“None of the individuals on the target list became victims,” Sheriff Kevin McMahill said.
As the massacre unfolded, the university warned students: ‘RUN-HIDE-FIGHT’
Students were seen evacuating the university when gunshots were heard in December.
As the massacre unfolded, the university issued an alert to students, warning them to ‘RUN-HIDE-FIGHT.’
A large police presence, including tactical teams, was immediately deployed to the scene in search of the suspect, while the school was on lockdown.
Less than an hour after the alert was issued, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced the suspect was dead and footage showed terrified students being gradually escorted out of buildings across campus.