LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – The third victim to die in a shooting at UNLV’s campus on Wednesday has been identified as 69-year-old Naoko Takemaru, according to the Clark County coroner’s office.
Takemaru’s cause of death was determined to be “multiple gunshot wounds,” the coroner’s office said.
Takemaru, a faculty member at UNLV, was an Associate Professor of Japanese Studies. She also authored a book, “Women in the Language and Society of Japan: The Linguistic Roots of Bias,” and wrote articles for journals.
The two other professors killed in the shooting were identified Thursday as Professor Cha Jan “Jerry” Chang, 64, of Henderson, Nevada, and Assistant Professor Patricia Navarro Velez, 39, of Las Vegas.
A 38-year-old visiting professor who was injured in the shooting remains hospitalized in stable condition.
The three victims were shot Wednesday at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas by a gunman identified as Anthony Polito, a former professor who had applied for jobs several times at Nevada universities, but was turned down every time, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.
Polito, 67, was killed in a shootout with detectives.
On Thursday, Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metro Police Department said investigators were still trying to determine a motive for the shooting. During a search of Polito’s apartment, detectives found evidence of financial troubles, and there was an eviction noticed taped to his door.
McMahill also said Polito entered the UNLV campus with a list of people he was seeking, though none of those targets were among Wednesday’s victims.
