LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Two-hundred-fifty-six pages of investigative notes lend brutal clarity to the Dec. 6 mass shooting on the campus of UNLV.
The full report released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on Thursday summarizes the lengthy investigation that began with reports of an active shooter on the university's campus shortly before noon on Dec. 6, 2023.
It also offers the gut-wrenching first-hand accounts of those who were inside Frank & Estella Beam Hall when the gunman opened fire. In some cases, they would hear their friends and colleagues be attacked.
[Content warning: The details in this report may be upsetting and difficult for some readers. Discretion is advised.]
Three members of the university's faculty were killed that day: Patricia Navarro, Cha Jan "Jerry" Chang, and Naoko Takemaru.
One faculty member would survive his multiple gunshot wounds. In the report, police officers recount seeing Professor Daraboth "Bot" Rith run out of Beam Hall, covered in blood.
Hear Professor Daraboth Rith share his story for the first time:
The report details how the officers quickly applied a tourniquet to Rith's arm and got him in the back of a police cruiser. As one officer drove toward an ambulance, the other realized Rith had also been shot in the chest and jumped into action to apply pressure to his wound.
"These cops saved my life," Rith said in his first public statement, nine months after the shooting. "Without them, I could be gone. ...I feel that I owe gratitude, immense gratitude, for the service they do to save people's lives."
The witnesses: Chaos and confusion inside Beam Hall
The report also details the firsthand accounts of those inside Beam Hall during the shooting — what they saw, heard and did as the gunshots rang out and they learned there was an active shooter. We've included these accounts below as they were written. [Note: We've blurred the names of witnesses to protect their privacy.]
First witness: UNLV teacher
This witness "was a teacher at UNLV, and was in her office in Beam Hall with the door open at the time of the shooting. Sometime after 11:30 a.m., she heard someone running through the corridor, yelling "active shooting" and to take shelter. The witness took her purse and ran out of her office. She used a key to access a closet...Once inside, she found another employee...who was already in there. The witness heard gunshots and people yelling from down the hall. After about a half hour, someone attempted to open the door and get in. The two then barricaded the door with a copy machine and a refrigerator. Eventually, a shot was fired through the refrigerator. The witness could smell gunpowder and heard a lot of noise; it was the police. The witness explained that the experience was like a dream. The police escorted her and [the other employee] to an ambulance. The witness never saw the shooter."
Second witness: UNLV hospitality professor
"On December 6, 2023, at approximately 11:15 a.m., [the witness] walked from his office building, passed Beam Hall, and headed east to the Student Union to buy his lunch. At approximately 11:35 a.m., the witness walked back to Hospitality Hall, taking the path directly south of Beam Hall. While walking westbound, the witness noticed an older white male walking in the opposite direction, who caught his attention because he wore a dark-colored trench coat. The male had slicked-back gray hair, eyeglasses, and carried a book or folder in his right hand. He was sweating and 'walking with a purpose.' The male appeared to be focused and did not interact with the witness, which was odd because, after working on campus for 20 years, the witness had never seen the male before. The witness recalled thinking, 'I bet you he's hot. He's got a determined look on his face and must be late for a meeting.'
"The witness reached his office and began eating his lunch when a student ran in, panicked, and showed him a picture of a police officer running inside Beam Hall with a gun out. The witness used his desk phone and called 911, which, according to the witness, connected to UNLV police. The dispatcher advised the witness that there was an active shooter in the school. The witness and approximately 12 people took shelter in a nearby storage room until police came to evacuate them.
"Prior to the shooting, the witness had never heard of [the gunman], nor had he received any communication from him."
Third witness: Full-time student at UNLV
"[The witness] was a full-time student at UNLV with a major in Marketing and a minor in Entrepreneurship and Real Estate. On Wednesday, December 6, 2023, the witness attended his Spanish class...His marketing class...was canceled, so he went to Panda Express and picked up lunch. The witness returned to Beam Hall and took the elevator to the fourth floor. There, he saw several professors in a conference room. ...The office he entered had a window that faced the interior of the other offices, not the hallway. The witness kept the ligh off in the office and the door closed.
"Between 11:43 to 11:44 a.m., the witness heard three gunshots, and someone screamed. He got up to open the door and looked down the hallway. Approximately four seconds later, he heard more screams then three to four more gunshots. The noises seemed to come from the accounting offices, east of the elevator hallway. Shortly afterward, someone 'jiggled' the door handle of the room, but the witness never saw the assailant or anyone suspicious. The witness texted his friend group to warn them about the shots and texted his family. At 11:50 a.m., the witness received a message from the school, advising that there was an active shooter. Shortly afterward (sic) that, the fire alarm sounded, and the witness recorded an audio clip as it blared at 11:58 a.m. The witness never called 911. At 12:46 p.m., he exited the office and was escorted north past the elevators, west to the stairwell, down to the second floor, and then out through the northwest door. He was led to the Lied Library..."
Fourth witness: UNLV staff member
"At 11:44 a.m., while sitting in her office, [the witness] heard three gunshots right outside her door, along with screams. She ran to the door, closed it, and locked it. When she closed the door, she saw the back of who she believed was the shooter. The witness described the individual as a white adult male, between 5'6" to 5'7", heavyset, with gray hair, and wearing a dark jacket. The man was facing away from her...The witness had never seen sim before and did not see his face.
"After she closed and locked the door, the witness hid under her desk and heard two to three more gunshots. About then, the alarm began to sound. After a while, the witness heard who she believed to be police officers yelling and a loud, muffled bump, which she believed came from a different side of the building on another floor.
"The witness did not take any pictures or videos of the incident and did not send messages or texts to any friends.
"The witness believed she was in the office for about two hours before she was evacuated..."
Fifth witness: UNLV undergraduate student
"Around 11:43 or 11:44 a.m., [the witness] heard a little 'pop,' which she assumed was related to the activities taking place in the Pida Plaza to the east. Soon after, she heard the fire alarm go off. The professor instructed the students to exit the classroom to see what was happening. The students grabbed their belongings and exited. As they moved down the hallway toward the elevators, they encountered some other students running west in their direction, who advised there was a shooter. The witness, the professor, and approximately 25 to 30 students retreated into [a room on the second floor of Beam Hall], where the professor locked the door. The witness called 911 at 11:48 a.m.
"Around 11:50 a.m, the witness heard additional 'pops,' approximately six, then three or four shortly after. However, the alarm drowned out much of the sound in the room.
"The witness and the other students were evacuated around 12:30 p.m. She heard banging on the door, then the police opened it and escorted them out of the building through the stairwell south of the front entrance. While being escorted, the witness saw someone on the ground near the patrol cars, with a paramedic or someone checking on him. However, the police told her group to keep running, so she did not get a good look at who was on the ground. They were led south on campus, where to church was located.
"Prior to the shooting, the witness had never heard of [the gunman], nor had she received any communication from him. However, she heard that [the gunman] had applied for professorships at different institutions in Nevada but was denied. The witness thought it was interesting that [the gunman] went straight to the Administration Offices on the fourth floor of Beam Hall, and she believed he targeted people of color."
Sixth witness: UNLV business student
"[The witness} was a student at UNLV who majored in business management. On Wednesday, December 6, 2023, at the time of the shooting, she was in her Spanish class. At approximately 11:42 a.m., the witness heard six shots but initially thought someone dropped something. One of her professors...whose biggest fear was a school shooting, locked the door. The professor told the witness that when she locked the door, she heard two more shots, and a woman scream. The professor believed the scream came from Dr. Naoko Takemaru, another World Language professor, as she recognized her voice.
"After the witness locked the door, the class barricaded it with a chair, turned off the lights and computers, and hid underneath their desks. While the witness was under her desk, she heard people screaming outside. Two of the witness's classmates called 911. At approximately 11:51 a.m., the witness received a text message through the Rebel Safe app that said there was an active shooter, and soon after, the alarm went off. Approximately seven to ten minutes after she heard the initial gunshots, through the classroom window, the witness saw a male turn the corner with his arm extended, appearing to hold a gun. The witness did not see his face or his clothing. She believed the gun was silver, but she was not sure because there were cloth blinds over the window. The witness did not see his face because her classmates told her to duck down, so she hid behind the podium. About 30 seconds later, the witness saw approximately eight police officers pursue the shooter. Approximately two minutes after that, the witness heard what she believed to be another gunshot. A few minutes later, police kicked down the door and told them to run out of Beam Hall with their hands up. When the witness [was] asked if she had ever seen [the gunman] prior to the shooting, she confirmed that she had. The witness saw him approximately one to two years ago when she visited a friend...who lived across from [the gunman] at the Promontory Point Apartments. The witness did not realize [the gunman] was the shooter until she saw his picture on the news."
Seventh witness: UNLV assistant professor
"At approximately 11:40 a.m., [the witness] was in his office with the door closed when he heard 'unusual noises,' that he described as loud bangs coming from either the hallway or the floor above or below him. The witness thought furniture was being moved or dropped and did not think much of it. After a few minutes, he exited his office to walk to...heat up his food. As he opened his office door, he heard approximately three gunshots, and a woman scream. The witness looked down the hallway and observed a male he did not recognize. There were normally a lot of people who walked the hallways, but the male stood out because of the black trench coat he was wearing. The witness went back to his office to gather his belongings but soon realized he needed to run out. He ran out of his office down the southeast stairwell.
"Although the witness took part in the hiring process for the Accounting Department, he did not recall the name of [the gunman], nor had he received any communication from him."
Eighth witness: UNLV staff member
"[The witness] was in his office when he saw the suspect walk by. The office had a glass window that stretched across the length of the room with 10 chairs inside for graduate students to work.
"The witness said that he saw the suspect walking down the hallway in a manner that led him to believe he did not come from the elevator. He observed the suspect walking eastbound from the direction of the stairs, but he added that the suspect could have walked westbound first before he turned and walked eastbound. The witness observed the suspect poke his head into his office ad looked at him and his colleague before continuing eastbound. When the suspect looked into his office, it was brief, lasting only half a second to one second each person.
"About 15 seconds later, the witness heard gunshots. He instructed his colleague to close and lock the door, and both hid under their desks. The witness called 911 at 11:44 a.m. to report the gunshots, which was around 11:43 a.m.
"After seeing the suspect on the news, the witness believed it was the same person who had peeked into his office."
Ninth witness: UNLV associate professor
"At approximately 11:35 a.m., [the witness] walked down the southeast stairwell to the fourth floor to speak with [a dean], but the dean was not in his office. The witness then took the elevator to the fifth floor, where he met [a colleague], who had just exited the elevator. As they exited the elevator, [the colleague] thought he heard a gunshot. This concerned the witness, because his colleague was not the type of person to mistake gunshots for balloons popping. A couple minutes later, both men were south of the elevators...when the witness heard a lot of gunfire from the fourth floo. He also felt the reverberations of the gunshots on his feet. Immediately after that, the fire alarm sounded.
"The witness assessed who was on the floor and rounded [six] people up. Daraboth Rith was not in his office. The group barricaded themselves in the witness's office. While barricaded, the witness heard more gunshots that sounded like they were directly outside his office. Although the witness could not give an exact number of shots, there were more than five but less than fifteen. Seconds after the shots were fired, the witness heard banging on the door to [the exterior room before his office]. The witness stayed in his office until he was evacuated by SWAT. During the evacuation, the witness followed a blood trail that ran east through the hallway and continued down the southeastern stairwell.
"The witness never had contact with [the gunman]..."
Tenth witness: UNLV professor
"[The witness] was a World Languages professor at UNLV. At the time of the shooting, the witness was in his office. Two students...were with him. They heard three gunshots, followed by two or three more that sounded closer. The witness closed his office door and barricaded it with chairs. [The students] hid behind his desk, while the witness laid down on the floor beneath the window. The fire alarm began to sound, and the witness could also hear people run on the floor above.
"The witness's office was close to the elevator at the corner of the hallway. He believed the first shots came from a floor beneath him, and the second round of gunfire sounded closer, possibly from the second or third floor. The witness stated while he and the students were hiding, someone tried to open his office door. The witness also heard gunfire in the hallway, and he heard footsteps outside his office that he described as regular walking, not running.
"The witness estimated that someone tried to open his door approximately one minute after he heard the gunfire, and he did not believe it was the police because they had not arrived yet. The witness did not hear any screams inside the building. The witness stated the police came 'way after,' knocking and announcing their presence. He slowly opened his office door and followed commands from the officers when he was evacuated. The witness estimated he was barricaded in his office for one hour.
"During the evacuation, he followed a line of police officers and exited the front door of Beam Hall. The witness was then taken to the east side of Maryland Parkway and boarded a bus that took him to the Thomas & Mack Center. The witness did not see the subject when he exited the building. The witness did not know the suspect and had no prior knowledge of him before seeing what was being reported on the news. He added that [one of the students] recorded with her phone while they were barricaded in his office. The witness's wife also...was present during the shooting.
"Prior to the shooting, the witness had never heard of [the gunman], nor had he received any communication from him."
Eleventh witness: UNLV undergraduate student
"[The witness] was attending her English class. She went to class early to speak with her professor. At approximately 11:25 a.m., the fire alarm sounded. The witness' professor immediately checked her computer to see if there was a scheduled fire drill. After she confirmed there was not one, the witness, her professor and some classmates exited the room and walked north, following the fire evacuation plan. While the witness looked around, she noticed a male standing by the stairs at the end of the corridor, holding a handgun with both hands. She heard approximately fix to six gunshots and ran back."
"Other students and faculty members were unaware of the active shooter situation and tried to leave. The witness pushed some students back inside one of the rooms and instructed them to lock the door, yelling 'active shooter!' They locked the door, turned off the lights and two of the male students picked up the professor's desk to barricade the door."
"One of the male students, who was approximately 6 feet 6, grabbed a chair and stood by the barricaded door, waiting in case the shooter attempted to enter. The witness called 911 and was connected to UNLV police. The witness advised there was an active shooter and described the suspect as having black sleeves and a handgun. She told police that she was sheltered in place on the second floor with other students."
Twelfth witness: UNLV senior accounting lecturer
"[The witness] was a senior lecturer who taught accounting at UNLV. Her office was the last office on the south side of the hallway in the southeast corner of the fourth floor. Once the witness' class ended, she walked back to her office with a student. When they arrived, two other students were already waiting for her. "
"While in her office, she observed the shooter in the hallway. She described the shooter as being 40 to 50-years-old, heavy-set, with slicked-back gray hair, wearing a long coat and something beige. The witness noticed the shooter either looked into the offices or checking names or room numbers on the placards outside. The witness made eye contact with the shooter and thought to ask if he needed help finding someone, but she stayed engaged with her student."
"When the witness finished with her student, she placed the test and Scantorn out the top shelf in her office. Less than five minutes after the student left, she heard a 'pop, pop, pop' followed by a scream. The witness then got up, locked her door and called the UNLV police as she walked to hide behind a cabinet in the corner of her office. A short time later, someone jiggled the handle to her door."
"When the witness saw the shooter on the news, she recognized him as the person she has seen in the hallway."
Thirteenth witness: UNLV Spanish professor
"[The witness], a Spanish professor, had been teaching nationwide since 1995 and worked at UNLV for the past 11 to 12 years. Her class started at 11:30 a.m. She arrived two minutes late because she was making copies on the third floor. at approximately 11:44 a.m., she heard four gunshots. She has previously discussed with her class what to do if they ever experienced an active shooter event. She instructed her students to hide behind her desk against the wall and out of view of the door's window. She went to her purse to find the magnet to lock the door. As she leaned outside of it to lock it, she heard a woman scream, two gunshots, then silence. One of her students grabbed her arm, pulled her back into the classroom and locked the door from the inside."
"Some of the students turned their tables over and hid behind them. She barricaded the door with three tables. The witness thought she might have been mistaken because up to that point, there were no alerts or alarms. She texted her son about the shoot and called the police to report it. A couple of minutes later, the alarm sounded."
"She positioned herself by the classroom window and observed a lone man on the second floor walking toward her classroom from the stairwell at the main entrance. She was unable to give a clothing description of the man and could not say if he had a gun in his hand or not. She recalled that the subject was 'not too tall and a little chubby.' Shortly after that, she observed three officers with guns drawn, two in the front and one in the back, walking south toward the elevators. A minute or so later, she heard multiple gunshots from an unknown location."
Fourteenth witness: UNLV assistant business professor
"[The witness], an assistant professor for the Lee School of Business, had an officer located in the southeast end of the fourth floor. He arrived at Beam Hall around 11:40 a.m. He took the elevator to the fourth floor and immediately went to use the restroom. He did not hear anything that alarmed him until after he exited. As he began to walk towards the accounting/marketing wing, he heard five loud bangs. He saw a student who was sitting in the hall with headphones on and another faculty member; they all looked at each other, confused, and questioned what the noise was. He thought it was possibly the balloons from the Dean's office. About 10 seconds later, there was a second volley of fire of approximately five shots, combined with a woman screaming."
"The witness began to run and yell 'active shooter!' and 'take cover!' He called 911 as he ran to the north hallway, then west to the stairwell. While he ran down the stairwell, the fire alarm blared. When he got to the ground floor, exiting to an external walkway outside the building, he warned others in the courtyard and saw two police patrol vehicles."
Fifteenth witness: UNLV student and faculty assistant
"[The witness} arrived at his fourth-floor office at 11:30 a.m. While working on his computer with his colleague, they heard gunshots. He closed and locked the office door, barricading it with chairs. They both called 911 and sheltered in place until 12:40 p.m. when they were evacuated by police. The witness heard multiple gunshots that he believed came from the accounting department."
Sixteenth witness: UNLV administrative assistant
"The witness arrived on campus at 10 a.m. and made her way to her office. At 11:40 a.m., she used the restroom and when she exited, she saw her coworker near the large set of windows east of the elevators. Her coworker said something to the effect of 'shots fired, oh my god. Why aren't they running?'"
"A minute or two later, as she took off for her office, the alarm sounded. She hid under her desk and texted her family, as well as UNLV dispatch through the Rebel Safe app. She did not hear any gunshots on her floor, but she heard a lot of commotion, banding and running around, which could have 'muffled' the sound of gunshots."
"She texted her husband and said she heard another volley of approximately five gunshots. At 12:20 p.m., police evacuated her from her office."
Seventeenth witness: UNLV professor
"At around 11:30 a.m., the witness was in a meeting with approximately eight others. About 11 minutes or so late, the witness heard three loud gunshots. She knew the shot came from the fourth floor, possibly southeast of the conference room. Everyone was startled. One of the men in the meeting went to another room door, and one or two more shots were heard. The male locked the door, and everyone in the room hid under the table. No one in the room saw the shooter, nor did they see anyone injured.
"Approximately 10 minutes later, the witness heard more gunshots. She received an alert notification about an active shooter in Beam Hall, then the alarm started."
"The department chair retrieved their phones from the table and gave them to their owners. The witness called 911, and while on the phone, she thought she heard more gunshots, but the alarm was so loud she was not sure. Later, the witness knew she heard more gunshots in the distance but believed that was when police shot the suspect."
"Approximately an hour later, the police came to the conference room and escorted them out of the building. One of the witness's colleagues said he saw some blood on the ground."
Eighteenth witness: UNLV graduate student
"The witness arrived at work around 10 a.m. The witness and his colleague were in the office. While there, sometime later, but prior to the gunshots, the witness saw the back of a male walking west down the hallway. The male wore a long black coat and had longer hair. The man turned around and walked back east through the hallway. His colleague observed the male peek his head into the office he was in for half a second, then continued east down the hallway. The witness knew the man was out of place but did not think much of it at the time."
"Around 'eleven something', the witness heard three consecutive gunshots and screams, which he believed came from the east side of the hallway. The witness and his colleague closed and locked the door and hid under the table. There were a couple more gunshots, and after a few minutes, the alarm sounded. A long time afterward, the witness heard loud thumping noises, as if someone was trying to get into a door."
"After the witness saw the image of Polito on the news, he believed Polito was the same male he saw on the fourth floor but was not positive."
Nineteenth witness: UNLV administrative assistant
"The witness was working in her office when she observed a white male in his 60s, approximately 6 feet tall, heavyset, and wearing a long black jacket, possibly with a button-up shirt underneath, walk by her office and continue down the hallway. The male appeared to be looking for someone, according to the witness. She knew a lot of faces, but he stood out because she did not recognize him at all."
"When she saw him come back near her doorway, she asked, 'Hi, is there something I can help you with,' the male replied, 'No, I'm good,' and kept walking. The witness did not think the male was suspicious and thought he was just looking for someone. She did not see any weapons, and the male walked east down the hallway. Shortly after, the witness heard three to four pops, which she initially thought were balloons. The witness heard a loud scream and then approximately four gunshots. She also heard one of the professors yell, 'Oh my God, Jack!'"
Twentieth witness: UNLV office manager
The witness arrived to work at 7:30 a.m.. Around 11:43 a.m., the witness was sitting in her office with a colleague. The door to her office had a glass window. The witness heard someone running loudly down the hallway, which she thought was unusual. The witness heard the subject run back toward her office, and she stopped him and asked what was going on. The male appeared to be frantic and said there was a shooter on the fourth floor. The witness turned off her office lights, locked her door and hid under her desk with her colleague.
"At 11:46 a.m., the witness texted her boyfriend about the shooting. Within the same minute, someone pulled the fire alarm. The witness believed it was the shooter trying to get people to come out of their offices. She and her colleague disregarded the alarm and remained hidden. Two minutes later, the witness texted her boyfriend again, stating she could hear shots fired on her floor. She believed that was when her colleague [Takemaru] was shot in the hallway outside of her office, in the general area where Takemaru was killed. There were approximately three to four shots, though the witness never saw the shooter."
Twenty-first witness: UNLV student
"At approximately 10:45 a.m., the witness arrived at UNLV with her girlfriend and parked near the Tropicana Avenue parking garage. She then went to Spanish class."
"At approximately 11:45 a.m., she heard three loud bangs. The witness could not hear anyone scream and was unsure how far away the noise was. Five to 10 seconds later, she heard three more loud bangs. Her professor immediately advised the class to lock the door and get under the desks. The professor activated the fire or panic alarm. Some of her classmates barricaded the classroom door with desks and chairs and turned the lights off."
"The witness recalled seeing someone walk past the windows, and one of her classmates thought the subject had a gun. From her position under the desk, the witness did not get a good look at the subject but was able to see that he walked casually."
Twenty-second witness: UNLV associate professor
"The witness entered Beam Hall through one of the three entrances on the south side of the building. He could not remember if it was the middle or east entrance. As soon as he entered Beam Hall, he saw a cell phone off the ground to his left. The phone read, 'All alarms went off,' so he placed it back on the ground. The witness thought the alarm was a drill, so he took the elevator to the fourth floor to his office."
"When the witness reached Patricia Navarro-Velez's office, he noticed her door was open, and her pocketbook was on her chair."
"The witness went into his office to start work, but because the alarm was going off, he decided to exit the building using the stairs. When he exited his office, he looked into Navarro Velez's office once again before he entered the east stairwell. He still did not see her. As he walked down the southeast stairwell, he noticed a tremendous amount of blood. The witness approached an officer to find out what happened, but the officer ignored him. The witness did not tell the officer that he had just exited the building or that he saw blood in the stairwell."