On a late Wednesday morning in August, economics professor Daraboth “Bot” Rith recognized the face of the man who saved his life on Dec 6, 2023.
The reunion took place in a conference room, tucked away inside University Police Services headquarters in the University Gateway building across Maryland Parkway and away from Beam Hall. Though he’d only seen him once since that day, it was easy for Rith to pick out officer Jake Noriega among the dozens of first responders in the room.
“I keep saying to people I want to see you again and again,” the economics professor quipped to Noriega.
Rith was shot 10 times that day. Somehow, he stayed on his feet and escaped down four flights of stairs, exiting on the eastside of Beam Hall. Running as best he could, he happened upon Noriega and his partner Ty Vesperas, both Las Vegas Metro police officers. The two officers, who had just arrived at the main entrance to the building, acted quickly. With Noriega providing medical care after the officers moved Rith into their police cruiser, Vesperas drove to an awaiting ambulance.
“These cops saved my life," Rith said. "Without them, I could be gone. I feel that I owe gratitude, immense gratitude, for the service they do to save people’s lives.”
He would later explain, “I always wanted to see the men [Noriega and Vesperas], the very first men that came out of nowhere and rescued my life. When I got out of the building with multiple injuries on my body, I felt like I was rescued by God.”
Known publicly as “the fourth victim,” Rith and his wife, Dimanche Pharath Rith, a business manager with UNLV Online Education, felt it was time to begin sharing their story with the UNLV family. Their focus first is on expressing their gratitude for the love and support they received. [The UNLV News Center will share more about their journey later this fall.]
On Sept. 10, Bot and Dimanche made an appearance at the All Hands Meeting, where faculty and staff gathered with President Keith E. Whitfield and leadership to discuss shared priorities for the academic year. The couple, who have known each other since high school in Cambodia, received an emotional standing ovation at the event held in the Student Union ballroom.
They were welcomed to the stage by Whitfield and by Provost Chris Heavey, who looked after the family during Rith’s many months of recovery.
"Nine months ago my life took an unexpected turn that brought about profound changes," he told the audience. "It was a period marked by uncertainty, fear, and challenges that, at times, I felt were overwhelming. Yet through it all, I discovered things within myself that I never knew existed. I was sustained not only by my own resilience but by the incredible support from all of you."
Back on Aug. 28, in the conference room, the couple gave gifts of chocolate with personal notes to Noriega and Vesperas (the latter could not attend) and also to the university police officers and dispatchers who responded to those calls on Dec. 6.
In an emotional moment, the couple embraced the men and women of UPD and thanked them, including the two university police officers who stopped the assailant.
“That day changed the lives of so many,” said Arnold Vasquez, interim director of University Police Services, Southern Command. “And although we will never forget those we lost that day, it is important that we forge forward, with memories of them that will always be in our hearts.”
Vasquez explained that the men and women who responded that day took an oath to protect the community and safeguard the lives of the innocent. “Bot and Dimanche are living proof that what we do and the oath that we swore...that the work we do matters. It really does. We are just as excited and happy to see them here with us. This is why we do what we do,” he said.
It’s been a long recovery for Rith. He spent nearly three months in a hospital, first surviving his wounds and then recovering both physically and mentally, with his wife and daughter by his side.
He had only been in Las Vegas about a year when the tragedy happened. He had just finished his doctorate work at Suffolk University in Boston when he was offered a job, beginning in January 2023 as a visiting professor, by then economics chair Jeff Waddoups.
Following Dec. 6, UNLV leadership worked to help all of the victims’ families in their recovery, that included helping Rith’s wife and daughter relocate to the U.S. At the time of the shooting, Dimanche and their daughter were living in Australia as Rith began his career here.
Early on in his recovery, Rith’s family, friends, colleagues, and students from the Lee Business School would send notes and cards wishing him a speedy recovery.
At the All Hands meeting, he told the audience: "Your kindness and compassion have illuminated my darkest moments. This experience has taught me so much about the power of community, the importance of compassion, and the incredible things that emerge in times of adversity.
"And it has shown me that even in the most challenging times, there is hope, there's always a path forward."
Some colleagues, including economics chair Ian McDonough, would visit him. Some even snuck food into the hospital, Rith remembered. “They would offer: Is there something that I really wanted to eat? I could only eat a little, but they brought in some delicious food.”
Rith's goal has been to get back to who he was on Dec. 5, 2023. He remembers telling his physicians: “I want to stand up and be able to walk again. I want to be the person I used to be.”
Nine months later, after leading an online class over the summer, he walked back onto campus to teach four in-person classes. That number is significant to him, as it was the same number he taught in the fall 2023 semester.
"From day to day, I keep progressing to be a better person,” he said in an interview in August. "I think less about what happened and focus on what’s more important, especially my family and my teaching and my research.
“Teaching economics is more than a job. It’s the way to change lives. That I can show off the beauty of economics —” he said, sometimes halting to gather his words. “For me, teaching is more than a dream come true. Without it, I cannot be the person I am.”
Today, he is where he belongs — at UNLV, Rith said. He explained that he has an eternal bond with the police officers who saved him, with Provost Heavey and his team who checked on him almost daily, and with his department chair, colleagues, and friends who reached out to him.
“I am, myself, proud to be a member of the UNLV family. I value this and treasure it, not just for me, but for my family — my wife, and my daughter.”
