UNVL shooting: Latino student survivors posted online accounts of dreadful 'shooting' incident

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Latino student survivors reported a horrific shooting at UNVL, where Forward Party leader César Márquez was reportedly armed while evacuating students. He shut the doors, turned off lights, and stood in corners, looking for potential threats.

A gunman, later identified as Anthony Polito, 67, opened fire on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus on Wednesday, killing three people and injuring a fourth before being shot dead by police. Polito had applied for a job at the university, according to two senior law enforcement officials, but was not hired.

Latino students narrated UNVL shooting incident

According to university figures, Latino students made up nearly a third (32%) of the student body in 2022, and Hispanics made up nearly 29% of the state's population in 2020, according to the state's Legislature, NBC News reported.

“It was a very large group, approximately 100 students," said Imer Céspedes, 20, a political science major who was locked up in the same room as Márquez.

"We divided ourselves in the corners because we had two entrances, and we were afraid that the shooter could enter our space. We even thought about how we could attack him, if necessary."

Céspedes stated, “Honestly, I thank God because I feel like I was born again. For me the American dream means having security, having my loved ones, because it wasn’t easy being in that room without your parents, without your family. I want to see all politicians uniting and working to create better, safer security policies.”

"I was trying to comfort some of the students who were crying, who were very worried," Márquez, who was born in Chicago and whose family is from Jalisco, Mexico, said.

"There was a moment when someone tried to open the doors and I felt my heart stop, because I didn’t know if it was going to be the shooter.”

Students shared their feelings on social media

Students also shared their terror on social media as events unfolded. “My people, I am very afraid. There is currently an active shooter here at the university where I study,” Carlos Eduardo Espina, a student at the study center, wrote on TikTok.

Espina, who was crying, explained that he had just finished a final exam when he heard there was an active shooter at the university, so he remained locked in the classroom with his classmates.

Espina remarked, “They don’t let us out, we are literally locked in. They say that we are safe in this building, but I don’t know. I’m very afraid and, well, there’s no way. It's sad what one lives with here in the U.S., my people. I’ve never been close to something like this.”

A shooting in Las Vegas killed four people and displaced over 500 others. The shooting in the Texas cities of Austin and San Antonio has prompted calls in Congress for an assault weapons ban.

Following the deadliest mass shooting in American history in 2017, the shooting has centered on Las Vegas. Students and professors from UNLV and other universities were held captive for three hours, with some attempting to flee.

The shooting has highlighted the need for increased action to prevent more families and communities from being shattered by gun violence.