On December 6, 2023, 39-year-old Patricia Navarro Velez was killed on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus when a gunman opened fire inside Beam Hall. An assistant professor of accounting and a native of Puerto Rico, Navarro Velez joined the UNLV faculty in 2019, taught and researched cybersecurity and data analytics, and was a mother of four. Colleagues and students remembered her for a warm, larger-than-life personality and a clear commitment to teaching.

The shooter was identified as 67-year-old Anthony Polito, a professor who had sought positions at UNLV and elsewhere in Nevada and reportedly been rejected. Polito entered Beam Hall armed with a handgun and killed three faculty members and wounded another before being shot and killed by UNLV police outside the building. No arrests were made because the lone suspect died at the scene.

Does anyone have memories of Patricia as a colleague or student, or information about her work and life to share?