Reported Las Vegas shooting suspect received PhD from UGA

The man suspected of fatally shooting three people and wounding another Wednesday at the University of Nevada Las Vegas received his doctorate degree from the University of Georgia.

The shooter, identified by law enforcement sources as Anthony Polito, died at the scene after a confrontation with police, according to several news outlets.

UGA officials confirmed Thursday that Polito attended the school from 1994 to 1999 and was then enrolled in a dissertation class in spring 2002. That year, he received his doctorate degree in business administration from the Terry College of Business.

Polito appeared to keep a robust personal website, where syllabi state that he taught management courses at UGA as a lecturer and doctorate candidate. A document on that website also states that Polito led “25 unique sections” of various courses from 1994 to 1999 at UGA.

UGA spokesman Gregory Trevor said the school does not have an electronic record of its instructors from so long ago and could not immediately access that information.

Police said the shooting started on the fourth floor of the building that houses UNLV’s Lee Business School. The gunman went to several floors before he was killed in a shootout with two university detectives outside the building, UNLV police Chief Adam Garcia told reporters.

Polito was an associate professor at East Carolina University, according to his LinkedIn profile. He unsuccessfully sought a job at UNLV, according to an Associated Press report.

Staff writer Rosana Hughes contributed to this report.