LAS VEGAS —?The University of Nevada, Las Vegas will hold a memorial vigil Wednesday for the victims of the Dec. 6 shooting rampage.
The Clark County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office identified the three people killed as UNLV faculty members:
? Associate Professor Naoko Takemaru, 69, of Las Vegas
? Professor Cha Jan “Jerry” Cheng, 64, of Henderson
? Assistant Professor Patricia Navarro Velez, 39, of Las Vegas
The fourth shooting victim, whose name was not released, is at Sunrise Hospital and listed in stable condition.
The gunman, Anthony James Polito, 67, died in a shootout with police. His motive remains unknown. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said that the investigation is ongoing.
UNLV President Keith Whitfield released the following statement on Dec. 11: “Over the past few days, in the wake of an unfathomable tragedy that took the lives of three cherished UNLV faculty members, numerous stories have been shared about their remarkable lives and the very real and lasting impact they had on the students, colleagues, families and loved ones that they cared so deeply about – and who cared so deeply about them.
“We continue to mourn the tragic loss of Lee Business School professors Dr. Jerry Cha-Jan Chang, Dr. Patricia Navarro Velez, and College of Liberal Arts professor Dr. Naoko Takemaru.
“At 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 13, we’ll gather together as a university community on campus for a memorial vigil to honor and remember the lives and remarkable legacies of these dedicated and beloved educators.
“The vigil will be held outdoors on the north end of the Academic Mall near the Lee Pascal Rose Garden, just east of the Carlson Education Building and south of the UNLV Performing Arts Center buildings.
“Members of the university community will have the opportunity to be together, to grieve together, and to honor the lives of three colleagues, friends, and mentors who will never be forgotten.”
UNLV posted the following biographies of the victims:
Dr. Jerry Cha-Jan Chang was a longtime educator of management information systems, spending more than 20 years of his academic career teaching a generation of UNLV Lee Business School students. Described as calm, even-tempered, and “a mentor of the highest caliber,” Dr. Chang was a “rigorous researcher and a good teacher who deeply loved his students and UNLV,” as recalled by his colleague Dr. KC Tan.
Dr. Patricia Navarro Velez, an assistant professor of accounting, had devoted her career to educating the next generation of accountants. Joining UNLV nearly five years ago as a professor of accounting, where she primarily focused on teaching accounting information systems, she was known for her “larger-than-life personality,” colleague Dr. Jason Smith reflects. “She chose to return to the classroom as a professor to share her passion for accounting and information systems while encouraging and mentoring students who were beginning their own journeys and professional adventures.”
Dr. Naoko Takemaru was a noted scholar, author, and award-winning educator, who just recently marked her 20th year as a member of UNLV’s faculty. She was incredibly dedicated to her students, having earned the premier teaching award from the College of Liberal Arts. Her colleague Dr. Margaret Harp remembers her as someone who “was lionhearted in kindness, lionhearted in generosity, lionhearted in humanity.”
For updates, visit: https://unlvstrong.unlv.edu/