EAST LANSING, Mich. — Authorities released the name Tuesday of the gunman who killed three students and wounded five more on the campus of Michigan State University a day earlier, prompting a manhunt that ended with a confrontation with police and his death from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Chris Rozman, deputy chief of campus police who spoke at a briefing Tuesday, said authorities received multiple calls of a shooting at Berkey Hall, an academic building, at around 8:18 p.m.
"There was an absolutely overwhelming police response to that call," he said, adding that officers arrived within minutes. Two of those killed and several of the wounded were found there, he said.
Minutes later, calls came in reporting a second shooting scene at the nearby student union building, he said, sending officers scrambling to that location.
Developments:
►The five wounded students remained in critical condition Tuesday, a Sparrow Hospital official said. Rozman said the identities of the victims would be released later Tuesday.
►Rozman said two people were killed at Berkey Hall and another was killed at the student union before the gunman apparently fled.
►Rozman identified the shooter Tuesday as Anthony Dwayne McRae, 43. The gunman had once been on probation for a gun violation and had a history of mental health issues, authorities said. See more below.
MASS KILLING DATABASE:Revealing trends, details and anguish of every US event since 2006
Gunman had pleaded guilty to weapons charge in 2019
The officer found a Ruger LCP .380 semi-automatic pistol in McRae's pants pocket, according to court records. He was charged with a violation of concealed carry law and possessing a loaded weapon in a vehicle; he pleaded guilty to the weapon-in-a-vehicle charge and the other was dropped, according to court records. Gautz said McRae was placed on probation in late 2019 and “successfully discharged” on May 14, 2021.
– Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press
McRae's brother 'still trying to process this whole thing'
McRae’s older brother, Michael McRae, 45, said he doesn’t “have a clue” what prompted Anthony McRae’s shooting spree on campus. His brother “stayed to himself” and they had grown apart over the years, he said. Michael McRae lives in Delaware. The brothers grew up in New Jersey. But Anthony McRae and his parents moved to Michigan about 20 years ago after his father was transferred from New Jersey by General Motors.
“This just don’t seem real, that he would be able to do anything like this,” the older brother told the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday. “I am still trying to process this whole thing.”
Last time the brothers spoke was their mom’s funeral two years ago. Anthony McRae had no children, no spouse and no friends his older brother knew of. Michael McRae said his younger brother worked at warehouse jobs in Lansing.
“He stayed to himself,” Michael McRae said. “He kind of secluded himself."
Michael McRae learned what happened from their father earlier this morning.
“I am deeply sorry for this whole thing,” McRae said.
– Christine MacDonald and Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press
College mass shooters typically have ties to campuses
Nearly all of the mass shooters at places of higher education in recent history have had a prior relationship with the campus, according to The Violence Project, a nonprofit research center. There have been nine mass shootings that killed four or more people in or around college or university settings since 1966, and eight of the nine shooters were current or former students or employees, said co-founder James Densley.
The shooters were all men with an average age of 28 – the youngest was 22 and the oldest was 43 – and three were white, he said. Like the Michigan State shooter, five of the nine shooters died by suicide.
– Grace Hauck, USA TODAY
Student near shooting had lost friends in high school rampage
The mother of a freshman Michigan State student says her daughter was traumatized by gun violence at school for the second time in less than two years. Jennifer Mancini told the Detroit Free Press her daughter was at Oxford High School north of Detroit in November 2021 when a fellow student opened fire at the school, killing four people. Mancini said two of the victims were close friends of her daughter.
Mancini, who asked that her daughter's name not be used, said her daughter was across the street from the student union Monday when gunfire erupted. Her daughter saw people running out of the building and called her mother.
"She said, 'Mom, I hear gunshots … What's going on?' " said Mancini. "She said, 'Get me out of here.'"
Her daughter's father went to get her after the lockdown ended. Read more here.
– Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press
Gunman had note indicating possible threat to schools in New Jersey
Police in Ewing Township, New Jersey, said information received during the investigation indicated the MSU shooter had local ties to the township. When McRae was found by police in Michigan, he had a note in his pocket that "indicated a threat to two Ewing Public Schools," Ewing police said in a Facebook post. An investigation revealed that McRae had a history of mental health issues, police said.
"Out of an abundance of caution" Ewing Public Schools were closed for the day. Officers from Ewing and surrounding agencies were stationed at all schools and in the township.
Athletic director says student 'emotional well-being' a top concern
University athletic director Alan Haller, a Lansing native and school alum who played football for the Spartans, also worked as an MSU Police officer for 13 years. Haller on Tuesday morning was going from meeting to meeting as part of the university's senior leadership team – trying to figure out what comes next.
"It's kind of like everybody else. You go through the shock mode," Haller told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK. "And then for us in athletics, you kind of go into how to take care of our students and making sure that they're emotionally and mentally safe. I'm talking more so after the incident was over."
The university canceled all campus sports – including the Spartans basketball game against the University of Minnesota on Wednesday – and other activities and classes for at least Tuesday and Wednesday.
"Right now, we're in the mode of making sure that our students are safe, and their emotional well-being is our biggest concern right now, as well as our staff."
– Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press
MSU moves to emergency operations
Interim MSU President Teresa Woodruff said Tuesday the school has moved to emergency operations for two days to allow students, staff and faculty "to think, grieve and be together" after a "day of shock and heartbreak."
The school has 50,000 students, almost 20,000 of whom live on campus. A Family Assistance Center was set up for families to pick up their on-campus students. Counselors were available for staff and students.
"Our Spartan hearts are broken," Woodruff said. "We are devastated at the loss of life. Our campus grieves, we will all grieve. We will change over time. We cannot allow this to continue to happen again."
Five wounded students remained in critical condition Tuesday
Dr. Denny Martin, chief medical officer at Sparrow Hospital, choked back tears as he described the effort to save the lives of the five wounded students rushed to his building. He said four of the five needed immediate surgery and that all five remained in critical condition Tuesday.
He lauded physicians and staff at the hospital for dealing with the mass casualty event.
"We practice this very often but hope we never have to do it," he said. "It was a sad but very proud night for all of us here."
Sen. Stabenow thanks emergency responders
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., who lives outside of Lansing and is Michigan State alum, issued a statement Tuesday saying, “Once again, gun violence has touched a Michigan community.
“I am grieving for my fellow Spartans today – for the lives lost, the injured, and all of the students, parents, MSU employees, and local residents who will be living with fear for a long time to come. I am grateful too for the first responders who put their own lives on the line to keep people safe.
“Spartans are strong and resilient – I know that the university and community will come together and get through this. I’m so incredibly sad and angry that they have to.”
– Todd Spangler, Detroit Free Press
Who was the shooter?
Rozman identified the shooter Tuesday as Anthony Dwayne McRae, 43. Rozman said McRae was located at about 11:35 Monday night in Lansing by officers about five miles away in an industrial area. McRae killed himself and a firearm was recovered at the scene, Rozman said. McRae was not a student or employee of the school and no connection to the school was immediately determined.
“We have absolutely no idea what the motive was,” Rozman said, but added that the investigation was continuing.
McRae was on probation for 18 months until May 2021 for possessing a loaded, concealed gun without a permit, according to the state Corrections Department.
Rozman said authorities reviewed security camera footage after the shooting, found frames that included the shooter and released his photo. Officers following up on a tip called in "from an alert citizen" found the killer, he said.
"We want to sincerely thank our community for their help," campus police said in a Twitter post. "Because of the quick release of the suspect photos through our campus security cameras, a caller’s tip was able to lead officers to the suspect."
What happened in the shooting?
No motive for the attack was revealed. Rozman said two people were killed at Berkey Hall and another was killed at the student union before the gunman apparently fled. Five people were rushed to Sparrow Hospital in critical condition, he said.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers from local, state and federal agencies responded to the shooting "in a coordinated effort," Rozman said. At one point 10 ambulances were lined up near the scene. Several campus buildings in the area were cleared and secured by 10:18 p.m., according to university police.
Four hours after the first shots were reported, police announced the man’s death. Rozman said officers had confronted the shooter miles away from the shooting scene, and that he died by a “self-inflicted gunshot wound."
3 KILLED AT MICHIGAN STATE:Suspect dead after hourslong search
Students sheltered in place or hid where they could
Ben Finkelstein, a senior, said he was sheltering in place in his room.
"I don't think I've ever been this scared," he said. "I've been listening to the police scanner for an hour."
Finkelstein said he was hiding under a pile of dirty laundry in his first-floor room. He closed all of his blinds and turned off his lights.
"It's far too late for this to be called a wake-up call," he said. "The sad truth is I doubt we're going to be the last. Other than that, I'm praying for everybody."
Kayal Ghassan, a 19-year-old fisheries and wildlife student, also was eating in another building on campus when word of the shooting spread, he said. He noticed other students began crowding at the doors.
Students were worried and panicking, he said. Many were calling their families. “Everyone was running in fear," he said. "I saw people climbing over other people.”
Ghassan and others ran to a nearby parking lot, where police immediately asked if they saw the suspect and knew what he looked like.
“I was fearing for my life, honestly. I’ve never experienced something like this,” he said.
Bacon reported from Arlington, Va. Contributing: Paul Egan, Andrea Sahouri, Mike Ellis, Sheldon Krause, Emily Lawler and Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY NETWORK; The Associated Press
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