Oral history interview with Byron J. Schnell-Davis conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on July 30, 2024 for the UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shootings project. In this interview, Schnell-Davis recalls crossing Pida Plaza towards to the Flora Dungan Humanities building (FDH), where about twenty classmates had just begun setting up for an informal end-of-semester final session when a classmate heard from her father, a UNLV professor, that they should leave because there had been a shooting on campus. As their instructor had received no such message yet, he urged the class to remain in place until they knew more. When the University Police Department alerts began a few moments later, Hebbler and his students arranged themselves against the walls of the windowless classroom, and Schnell-Davis pushed his table in front of the door. He describes the sounds they heard and the barricade they erected in front of the door, using his water bottle to jam the door handle. He texted four words to his parents and friends: "I'm safe. More later." After about an hour, the police came to the door and identified themselves. As Hebbler opened it, they pointed their loaded automatic weapons directly at him. Hebbler and his students were evacuated to the parking lot across from campus, and they dispersed. Digital audio and transcript available.
Archival Collection
UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shooting interviews
To request this item in person:
Collection Number: OH-03923 Collection Name: UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shooting interviews Box/Folder: Digital File 00 (Restrictions apply)
Oral history interview with Amelia Davis conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on July 8, 2024 for the UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shootings project. In this interview, Davis, a Graphic Designer and Creative Coordinator for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement, walks across campus daily from the UNLV Foundation building to the Student Union. On December 6, 2023, Davis took her walk earlier than usual. As she began her return from the Student Union and crossed in front of Beam Hall, she recalls students pouring out of the building, running and purposeful, but not noisy. When she asked a student what was happening, the student responded, "Shooter, shooter, shooter." Davis recalls how she and her colleagues locked the building with employees and students inside once she arrived back from the Student Union. Davis talks about letting go and crying only that evening when her friend picked her up at Target and hugged her. She talks about taking Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Stop the Bleed courses and going to the shooting range to become comfortable with firearms. She also describes how the shooting began a long stretch of work, family, and health-related stressors. Digital audio and transcript available.
Archival Collection
UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shooting interviews
To request this item in person:
Collection Number: OH-03923 Collection Name: UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shooting interviews Box/Folder: Digital File 00 (Restrictions apply)
Oral history interview with Mana Azizsoltani conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on July 11, 2024 for the UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shootings project. In this interview, Azizsoltani describes “growing up” Beam Hall (BEH) where both his parents worked, even learning to walk in the hallways of the building. He is currently a PhD student working in the Insurance Risk Management Program. On December 6, 2023, he was in his office in BEH with his window open as alarms began to sound throughout campus. He and his mentor, supervisor, and dissertation advisor hunkered down in his office and barricaded the door. They did not respond when someone tried to enter but shortly, the police evacuated them. Azizsoltami checked on colleagues and drove immediately to his mother's location. Azizsoltani describes he is healing through nontraditional, multi-pronged approaches. The weekend following the shooting, he invited friends, family, and colleagues to his home for an open house that lasted through the day: simply people showing love and being grateful; celebrating life. Secondly, he purchased a gun and is learning to use it and care for it in a responsible fashion. Digital audio and transcript available.
Archival Collection
UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shooting interviews
To request this item in person:
Collection Number: OH-03923 Collection Name: UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shooting interviews Box/Folder: Digital File 00 (Restrictions apply)
Oral history interview with Kelly Stith conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on June 27, 2024 for the UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shootings project. In this interview, Stith recalls starting to drive from Henderson to UNLV for an appointment, but her significant other informed her that there was a shooting on campus so she drove to his home instead. They checked on their friends throughout the day and Stith began thinking about what she could do about shootings in America. Stith is a writer, artist, and punk rock enthusiast who teaches in the English departments at both UNLV and NSU. She decided that she would use writing, photography, and music to heal and that she would use her voice to create more awareness and thus create change around gun violence. Stith believes that we all have a responsibility to ourselves and our communities to enact common sense gun laws through community organizing, writing, and by mobilizing the arts community. Digital audio and transcript available.
Archival Collection
UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shooting interviews
To request this item in person:
Collection Number: OH-03923 Collection Name: UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shooting interviews Box/Folder: Digital File 00 (Restrictions apply)
Oral history interview with Allister Dias conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on July 16, 2024 for the UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shootings project. In this interview, Dias discusses his experiences on December 6, 2023, through his role as Editor-in-Chief of the Scarlet & Gray from his office in the third floor of the Student Union and as a journalist on the sidewalk across Maryland Parkway from UNLV. He talks of hearing gunshots and sirens, seeing students running, and seeing his Business School professors react to the day. He recalls using the newspaper as a vehicle to collect student stories, serving as a conduit to local and national news organizations, allowing people charge their phones, seeking therapy from the UNLV's Student Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), and finding joy in the generosity of UNLV students and peace in photography and writing. Dias is currently serving as CSUN President, Faculty Assistant at the UNLV Center for Business and Economic Research, and Lead Consultant for the UNLV Writing Center while an economics major at the Lee Business School. Digital audio and transcript available.
Archival Collection
UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shooting interviews
To request this item in person:
Collection Number: OH-03923 Collection Name: UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shooting interviews Box/Folder: Digital File 00 (Restrictions apply)
Oral history interview with Stacey Fott conducted by Claytee D. White and Stefani Evans on July 18, 2024 for the UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shootings project. In this interview, Fott describes being at her desk in UNLV Special Collections and Archives when the first alert sounded. The building provided a sense of safety, and Fott continued to check on students while the Library was locked down. Her husband, who also works on campus, used his scooter to take Tropicana to their nearby home. After the evacuation of the Library, occupants were sent to Thomas & Mack. She walked home after inviting others to use her home as a pick-up location because it was near campus yet out of the zone where traffic was not allowed. Fott returned to campus the next day to move her car. She recalls passing Beam Hall felt too overwhelming, so she walked between Wright Hall and the Law School to Lot N behind Lied Library. After some reflection, Fott's anger is subsiding but arises every once in a while. She was able to go home to her husband and cats, but recognizes that a number of colleagues will never go to that physical home again. Digital audio and transcript available.
Archival Collection
UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shooting interviews
To request this item in person:
Collection Number: OH-03923 Collection Name: UNLV Remembers: an Oral History of the 6 December 2023 Shooting interviews Box/Folder: Digital File 00 (Restrictions apply)