University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) senior Mike Henderson was in Beam Hall when he heard approximately eight gunshots on Wednesday. He received an alert on his phone from the university instructing students to “run, hide, fight,” confirming that the situation was real. Henderson immediately sought shelter in a neighboring classroom on the second floor, where he and his fellow students barricaded the door with desks and tried to remain quiet. In a state of panic, Henderson called his dad, as did many other terrified students.
The mass shooting at UNLV resulted in the death of three faculty members and left one injured. The victims were identified as 64-year-old Professor Cha Jan Chang and 39-year-old Assistant Professor Patricia Navarro Velez. Law enforcement officials believe that the suspect targeted his victims as he moved through the building. The first police officer arrived at the scene within 1 minute and 18 seconds of receiving the call for help. During the aftermath of the shootings, the suspect encountered two UNLV police detectives near the student union and died at the scene following a gunfight with the officers.
After being barricaded in the classroom for approximately 25 minutes, Henderson and his classmates were escorted out of the building by the police. As they were leaving, Henderson witnessed more shots being fired from the student union next door. Once outside, he saw a bloody body on the ground. Another student, Brayden McDermott, who was also in Beam Hall at the time, initially thought an alarm had gone off but soon realized it was a gun being fired. He and many others ran in panic, with McDermott narrowly avoiding being trampled.
After waiting for nearly eight hours at the Thomas and Mack Center, McDermott and hundreds of other students were finally able to return to their dorms. McDermott expressed his lack of surprise at the shooting, given the frequency of mass shootings in the United States. He lamented the desensitization and indifference towards such incidents, stating that it was a shame people no longer seemed to care. McDermott concluded by emphasizing that no one is untouchable and that if any place were truly safe, everyone would be living there.
