Three Michigan State University students were killed and five others seriously injured in a shooting at the university Monday night, authorities said. Police said the gunman was later found dead in Lansing from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Law enforcement officials at the university identified the shooter as Anthony Dwayne McRae, a 43-year-old man with no apparent affiliation with the school. Chris Rosman, the university’s interim deputy chief of police and public safety, said McCrae was not a current or former student or faculty member at Michigan State.
The suspect was previously sentenced to 18 months in prison on the weapons charge, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections. Arrest records It showed he was convicted and ultimately sentenced in November 2019 for possession of a loaded firearm inside a vehicle, which is illegal in Michigan without a concealed carry license. He was laid off in May 2021.
Officials did not provide information about the students’ identities, though Roseman told reporters at a news conference Tuesday that their names will likely be released before the end of the day.
Michigan State Police initially confirmed the death toll Monday night, announcing that five people had been hospitalized with injuries, noting that all were in critical condition. A hospital representative said four of the five students who were taken to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing underwent surgery for their injuries overnight. The fifth student was immediately admitted to the medical center’s intensive care unit, and all five remained in critical condition Tuesday morning, according to the rep.
Police found McCrae’s body in Lansing at about 11:30 p.m. Monday, Roseman said, and thanked the caller whose information led authorities to the suspect. Michigan State University’s Department of Public Safety shared a similar opinion Twitterhe writes, “We sincerely want to thank our community for their help. Due to the quick release of suspicious images through our campus security cameras, a caller tip was able to direct officers to the suspect.”
Officials had earlier described the suspect as a black man, short, wearing red shoes, a jean jacket, and a ball cap. They said he believed he fled on foot.
Courtesy of MSU Police via AP
McCrae’s body was found about three hours after police received their first reports of a shooting inside Berkey Hall, an academic building on the MSU campus, around 8:30 p.m. Officers arrived on the scene within minutes, Roseman said, and “met Many students who were injured” inside that building.
“We can confirm that two of the dead were at Berkeley Hall, as well as some of the victims,” he said.
While the officers were present, MSU police received another round of calls reporting a second shooting inside the nearby MSU Union Building, where authorities found the third victim, according to Roseman.
“There is no longer a threat on campus,” Roseman said at a news conference earlier Monday. A previous police protection order for the East Lansing campus has been lifted.
“This was really a nightmare we are living through tonight,” he said.
Al Goldis/AP
Roseman said two of the dead were at Berkeley Hall on campus while the third was shot at the Michigan State University Union.
Police said the suspect was located off campus in Lansing after a chase and died of a gunshot wound.
“Our understanding is that the suspect was confronted by law enforcement,” Roseman said.
Detroit’s WWJ broadcaster reported that the suspect lived in Lansing and that “investigators, including members of the MSP bomb squad” were at his home overnight about two miles from where police confronted him.
The suspect has no known affiliation with the school, Roseman said, and police have no idea why he came to campus to do this tonight.
A White House official told CBS News early Tuesday that President Biden has been briefed on the shooting and has spoken to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Whitmer referred to her conversation with Mr. Biden in remarks at the press conference Tuesday morning.
“We regret the loss of beautiful lives today and we pray for those who continue to fight for their lives,” the governor said.
Whitmer, who acknowledged that February 14 marks the fifth anniversary of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., added that Monday’s shooting at MSU came on the heels of massacres across the country in 2022, and more recently during a Lunar New Year celebration in Southern California.
“Looking back on a year marked by grocery store shootings, parades, and many other normal, everyday situations, we can’t continue to live like this. Our kids are scared to go to school. People feel insecure,” Whitmer said, adding, “We have to We act, and we will… We will do so with the full support of the State of Michigan and the federal government.”
MSU said all campus activities have been canceled for 48 hours, “including athletics, classes, and all campus-related activities. Please do not come to campus tomorrow.”
MSU President Teresa Woodruff said at a police press conference, “We’re going to have two days where we’re going to transition into an emergency operation to give ourselves time to think, to breathe, and to be together. To our faculty and staff, we will similarly give all of you the next couple of days to reflect and grieve and come together.” And Spartan society, this family will get back together.”
Many school districts in the area canceled classes on Tuesday, CBS Detroit reported.
– Additional reporting by Brian Dax
[ad_2]
