UNLV gunman had erectile dysfunction meds, oxycodone in system

A former professor was on pain killers and medication for erectile dysfunction when he gunned down three people at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Anthony Polito had 84 nanograms per milliliter of tadalafil, also known as Cialis, and 15 nanograms per milliliter of oxycodone in his bloodstream when he carried out the mass shooting late last year, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported, citing his autopsy report. A typical dose of oxycodone prescribed to adults is between five and 10 milligrams every six hours. according the Mayo Clinic.

Police said the ex-educator burst into the building that houses UNLV’s Lee Business School on Dec. 6, 2023 and killed three people, making his way through several floors before he was killed in a shootout with two university detectives outside.

Next to his body, responding officers found a cardholder, a case with cigarettes in it, and a “laminated index card with apparent room numbers” and names listed, according to the report. They also recovered a Taurus 9-millimeter handgun on the scene.

According to his autopsy, Polito suffered six gunshot wounds to his face, neck, chest, abdomen, elbow, and leg. Nathan Schaller, a forensic pathologist, concluded his cause of death was the gunshot wounds and concluded the manner was homicide. His victims, all of them professors, were identified as Jerry Cha-Jan Chang, 64, a professor of business at the university; Patricia Navarro-Velez, 39, an assistant professor of accounting; and Naoko Takemaru, 69, an associate professor of Japanese studies.

A fourth person, a 38-year-old male visiting professor, was also wounded during the massacre.

Before the shooting, Polito taught at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina from 2001 until he resigned in 2017. At least two students accused him of making inappropriate comments while studying at the college. He then attempted on several occasions to nab at professorship at the UNLV, but was ultimately unsuccessful.