Students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas experienced a frenetic moment after a campus fire, which initially felt unreal.
Students and community members at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas experienced terror and shock after a person opened fire on campus, which is already home to the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Jose Lopez, an 18-year-old freshman, heard shots ring out while watching YouTube videos on the fourth floor of the UNLV business school building.
"Lopez was scared and his legs began to shake, "briefly freezing like a statue before bolting away"
A man hid in an academic advisory office on the third floor, barricading himself and others. The police arrived, opened the doors, and escorted the group to safety.
Jose Lopez, an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
NBC News
Connor Friedman, a finance junior, initially believed construction noise to be noise but later realized someone was firing a gun nearby.
"That's when I started running," Friedman said. "It didn't even feel real at first. It felt like they were lying about the shooting."
In an interview with a TV news reporter at the scene, the mother of a student said her daughter was "hysterical" when she called with news of the shooting.
"She heard the gunshots, she heard the screaming," the mother said.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill confirmed that at least three people were killed in a shooting, with the extent of injuries unknown. He stated that there is no more threat to the community and the suspect is dead.
The attack follows Las Vegas' deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, which resulted in 58 deaths and hundreds of injuries during a country music festival in 2017.
UNLV students' relatives and friends gathered on campus to await news about their loved ones.
Jayden Rol, 26, said his sister Nicole was safe and hiding in a closet somewhere on campus, waiting for police to arrive.
"You hear about shootings all the time," he said, "and none of it makes sense."
Jesus Medina, 28, reported that his wife Stephanie, 26, an administrative assistant in the English department, was hunkered down inside her building after receiving an active shooter alert. He was anxious for her evacuation and panicked as he drove to campus.
"Lord, please don't let anything happen to my wife," he said.