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Autopsy reveals UNLV gunman had erectile dysfunction meds in system
The Frank and Estella Beam Hall is seen following the shooting on the UNLV campus on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, in Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Anthony Polito (Linked-In)
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ByNoble Brigham/Las Vegas Review-Journal
July 1, 2024 - 11:36 am
Updated July 1, 2024 - 7:08 pm
The man who shot four University of Nevada, Las Vegas professors and killed three had oxycodone and erectile dysfunction medication in his bloodstream when he died and was found with a list of names and room numbers near him, according to an autopsy report.
Anthony Polito, 67, killed Patricia Navarro Velez, 39, Cha Jan “Jerry” Chang, 64, and Naoko Takemaru, 69, in the Dec. 6 shooting. He critically injured another professor, who wanted to stay anonymous, authorities previously said.
Polito, who was armed with 150 rounds of ammunition and had a target list, according to police, was a business professor who had been rejected from jobs at UNLV. He was fatally shot by UNLV police.
At the scene, investigators found what appeared to be a laminated notecard with names and room numbers on it, according to the autopsy report, which the Las Vegas Review-Journal received Monday from the Clark County coroner’s office.
Polito’s cause of death was gunshot wounds and the manner of death was homicide, according to the report, which is signed by Nathan Shaller, a forensic pathologist, and dated June 15. The report said Polito opened fire on police before they shot him.
A lab analyzed Polito’s blood and found that it was positive for the painkiller oxycodone and tadalafil, a scientific name for Cialis, which treats erectile dysfunction, the report said. He had 15 nanograms per milliliter of oxycodone in his bloodstream and 84 nanograms per milliliter of tadalafil. His oxycodone level was far below the U.S. Department of Transportation testing threshold of 100 nanograms per milliliter for urine tests.
Matthew Johnson, a Johns Hopkins University specialist who studies the psychological effects of drugs, said it would be difficult to determine if Polito had used a small amount of oxycodone recently or a large amount in the past. But he said that oxycodone and Cialis are not known to increase risk-taking the way alcohol does.
Investigators found Polito’s body lying in front of the Frank and Estella Beam Hall in the 4500 block of Maryland Parkway. A cigarette case and a Taurus 9mm handgun were near him, and he was wearing pouches containing nine magazines. He was dressed in a coat and tie.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.
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