Japanese academic among 3 killed in University of Nevada shooting

The university, where the attack took place on Wednesday, identified the woman as Naoko Takemaru, an associate professor of Japanese language studies.

The university said Takemaru was in charge of overseeing the university’s entire Japanese studies programme and taught all levels of students. It said on Thursday that the two others killed were Cha-Jan “Jerry” Chang, a professor of management information systems and Patricia Navarro, an assistant professor of accounting.

US university gunman described as struggling academic with ‘target list’

Another faculty member remains hospitalised, it said. The 67-year-old gunman, Anthony Polito, was killed in a shoot-out with police following a confrontation outside the university.

US President Joe Biden on Friday mourned the victims of the shooting at an event in Las Vegas and said, “This is not normal and we can’t let it become normal.” He urged Congress to enact tougher gun controls.

According to local police, Polito, a former professor, had applied for jobs with institutions of higher education in Nevada but was rejected each time. They said his motives for the rampage, which lasted about 10 minutes, are still being investigated.

Keith Whitfield, president of the university, confirmed in a statement on Friday that Takemaru was one of the three killed. He mourned her death and said she was “a noted scholar, author and award-winning educator, who just recently marked her 20th year as a member of [the university’s] faculty.”

An official at the Japanese consulate, which provided no details on Takemaru, said it will “contact her family members and relevant parties to provide support.”