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'It makes no sense': LeBron James speaks out; UNLV-Dayton game canceled after deadly shooting on Las Vegas campus

jason owens
Staff writer
·3 min read
153

A shooting that killed three and left another critically wounded on the UNLV campus Wednesday elicited an impassioned reaction from LeBron James and prompted the cancellation of a men's basketball game against Dayton.

Names of the shooting victims were not initially released. UNLV police chief Adam Garcia told reporters that officers eventually located and killed the suspect in a shootout roughly 40 minutes after initial reports of the shooting. The suspect was not immediately identified, nor was the motive for the shooting.

Per the Associated Press, students and faculty on the campus of 30,000 students barricaded themselves in classrooms and dorm rooms during the roughly 40 minutes while the shooting remained active. The shooting evoked thoughts of others on college campuses and another in Las Vegas six years ago.

In 2017, the Las Vegas strip was witness to the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, a massacre that killed 60 people and left more than 850 injured. Per the Gun Violence Archive, Tuesday's was the 631st mass shooting in the U.S. in 2023.

LeBron James: It just continues to happen

Wednesday's shooting not far from the location of the 2017 shooting prompted reaction from the Las Vegas sports community and LeBron James, whose Los Angeles Lakers are in town for the semifinals of the NBA's in-season tournament.

"We're the only ones who keep dealing with this same story this same conversation every single time it happens," James said of guns in America. "It just continues to happen. The ability to get a gun, the ability to do these things over and over and over.

"And there's been no change. It's literally ridiculous. It makes no sense to continue to lose innocent lives on campuses, on schools, in shopping markets, movie theaters — all types of stuff. It's ridiculous."

The NBA offered a statement of its own as it prepares to host the final three games of its in-season tournament at T-Mobile Arena on the strip.

"The NBA family is heartbroken by today's senseless shooting at UNLV," the statement reads. "We extend our sincerest condolences to the families and friends of the victims, as well as the entire Las Vegas community."

Dayton, meanwhile announced the cancellation of Wednesday' men's basketball game against UNLV on social media with a note that further information will released when available. It's not clear if the game will be rescheduled.

"We ask that our fans keep the UNLV community in their thoughts and prayers," the statement reads.

LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 6: View of halted traffic after a shooting at UNLV where 3 were reported dead and 1 in critical condition at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 6, 2023. Credit: DeeCee Carter/MediaPunch /IPX
UNLV was locked down for 40 minutes Wednesday as a shooting took place on campus. (Photo by DeeCee Carter/MediaPunch /IPX)

The Las Vegas Raiders and Las Vegas Knights and Oakland A's — who will eventually move to Las Vegas — each released statements Wednesday addressing the shooting.