On Monday night, the usually busy streets of Michigan State University’s sprawling campus fell silent after a gunman opened fire in two buildings, killing three students and wounding five others.
For hours, students, faculty and staff members sheltered in place, many in dormitories and other campus buildings, as hundreds of police officers searched for the gunman.
Students across the campus in East Lansing, more than 80 miles northwest of Detroit, expressed fear. Among them was Jane Nodland, a senior nursing major, who on Monday night was at the university’s student union building to do homework with her boyfriend. She heard three gunshots and quickly dove into a corner before sprinting out of the building. “I thought I was going to die,” Nodland said. “It sounded like he was right there.”
Here’s what we know, and don’t know, about the shooting so far.
What happened?
The gunman first opened fire at Berkey Hall, home to the university’s College of Social Science, shortly before 8:30 p.m., killing two people, Chris Rozman, the interim deputy university police chief, said at a news conference Tuesday morning. The gunman later moved to the Michigan State student union, a popular place for students to eat and study, where he killed a third person. The two buildings, just minutes apart on Grand River Avenue, were both unlocked and open to the public.
Not long after the shooting began, the university sent an email alerting students, many of whom were in dormitories, libraries and other campus buildings, to shelter in place or evacuate while authorities searched for the shooter.
After a three-hour search, university police said the gunman was found off campus around 11:30 p.m. and had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Shelter-in-place orders were lifted, and students quickly returned to their homes or were reunited with their families.
What do we know about the victims?
Michigan State Police identified two of the victims who died as Brian Fraser, 20, a sophomore from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and Alexandria Verner, 20 a junior from Clawson, Michigan. The school district in Grosse Pointe identified the third victim as Arielle Diamond Anderson, 19, of Harper Woods, Michigan.
All eight victims — the three who were killed and the five who were wounded — were students at the university. The wounded students remained in critical condition and were being treated at Sparrow Hospital, authorities said.
What do we know about the suspect?
The gunman was identified as Anthony McRae, 43, and, Rozman said, he was not affiliated with the university. Rozman said that a caller’s tip led authorities to the suspect and that authorities recovered a weapon. No details were given about the type of weapon used, but McRae was arrested in Lansing, Michigan, in 2019 and charged with carrying a concealed pistol without a permit.
Police also found a threatening note in the suspect’s pocket Monday night that prompted the public school district in Ewing Township, New Jersey, to cancel classes for the day as a precaution. Ewing Township police said McRae had ties to that area.
The suspect’s father, Michael McRae, said in a telephone interview Tuesday that his son had become increasingly angry and bitter since his mother’s death in September 2020, rarely leaving his bedroom. He also said that his son had lived briefly in a homeless shelter in Cincinnati.
What don’t we know?
As of Tuesday afternoon, a motive remained unclear. Authorities did not comment on what might have been found at a home linked to the suspect.
What happens next?
An investigation into the shooting could take weeks, according to an FBI spokesperson.
In the meantime, all campus activities, including classes and athletics, have been canceled for two days. Authorities had urged people to avoid coming to campus Tuesday. East Lansing Public Schools were also closed Tuesday.
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