LANSING (WWJ) - Although an investigation into tragedy that befell Michigan State University on Monday night is ongoing, police say they've been able uncover more of the 43-year-old shooter's troubled and solitary life that ultimately ended in violence.
In the press conference at the East Lansing campus around 10 a.m., authorities said they have been working tirelessly across multiple agencies to piece together the clues that are slowly unveiling just who Anthony Dwayne McRae was.
Yet the biggest question remains: Why did he do it?
Authorities with Michigan State University campus police, Michigan State Police, the Lansing Police Department and the FBI say they are still trying to identify a motive as on Thursday.
Here is what they know so far:
McRae had two guns when he was located by police in the City of Lansing
MSU Police Chief Marlon Lynch said McRae was spotted apporximently 3.8 miles from the scene of the shooting in Lansing by a concerned citizen who recognized him from a surveillance photo released by authorities.
When he was approached by Lansing police just before midnight on Monday, McRae produced a weapon and took his own life.
"We can confirm the shooter had two handguns on his person when he was located," Chief Deputy Chris Rozman said during the morning briefing. "Those handguns are both 9mm. He also had additional magazines and ammunition on his person."
Through a collaborative effort by local and federal agencies, the guns were found to have been purchased legally by the shooter, but they were not registered.
Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee said there was nothing prohibiting McRae from buying the guns, despite pleading guilty to a prior CCW charge in 2019.
"My understanding is in that case that a motion was made by the defense and then before that motion was pushed through to a decision, the then-prosecutor of Ingham County chose to drop that charge and negotiate down to a lesser crime which gave him no jail time, no felony charges prohibiting him from buying additional weapons in the future and a year of probation."
"That prosecutor is no longer in Ingham county," Sosebee continued. "We'd all hope that the prosecutor would uphold the law as it is written. There's always room for some type of discrepancy or discretion, however that one will be scrutinized for a long time, I'm sure."
MSP Lt. Rene Gonzalez further stated that McRae used one gun to shoot himself and the other was found in a backpack he was carrying.
A loaded magazine full to capacity was discovered in McRae's left breast pocket . Troopers conducted a search of his backpack where they found eight loaded magazines of 9mm ammunition, along with a pencil-sized pouch with 50 rounds with loose 9mm ammunition.
He was also carrying two empty magazines.
"It does appear that from the body warn camera that McRae did not verbalize anything to the officers prior to him shooting himself," Gonzalez added.
The shooter may have carried out the attack because he believed he was slighted
Authorities also said that a two-page letter was found in McRae's wallet. While its contents were not released in the briefing, police believed the note alludes to why McRae carried out the attack that killed three students and critically injured five more.
Officials are still investigating, but say the shooter possibly believed he had been rebuffed in his personal life.
"That was the note that indicated where he was going to visit and also kind of gave an indication of why, or maybe a motive that we can't confirm just yet," Lynch said.
In the letter, McRae listed a church, a warehouse and a couple of other businesses as potential targets.
"He had had contact with some of those places," Gonzalez continued. "He was an employee of the Meijer warehouse at one time and a couple of the other business, it appears he had some issues with the employees where he was asked to leave, so it looks like he possibly... felt slighted. That's kind of what the note indicated."
Authorities said they are investigating claims that McRae may have had a mental health issue and whether the condition played a part in the shooting.
McRae lived a solitary life leading up to the fatal shooting
Police described McRae as a loner in Thursday's press conference and determined that comments made by the shooter alleging he had 20 other "killer friends" were false.
"At this time, we believe no other subjects were involved and McRae was the lone shooter in this incident," Gonzalez with MSP stated.
During an interview with police, McRae's father said his son stayed indoors and hardly ever came out.
"He pretty much sat in the room the whole time, he ate and went to the bathroom in there, so he pretty much never left his room," the lieutenant continued. "His father didn't believe he had any friends let alone 20 of them that would help him put this out."
Police also debunked rumors that they had been called to the home before to conduct welfare checks on McRae.
Sosebee with the Lansing police said officers had been to the home once before for an unrelated incident.
Neighbors had previously made reports that McRae had shot off weapons at the property, but police said they never received any complaints.
In the end, officials acknowledged many questions still remain and they are working tirelessly to find the answers. Police described the investigation as "complex" with multiple agencies across Michigan and at the federal level deeply involved.
University officials, FBI agents and law enforcement all spoke at Thursday's briefing in an effort to provide transparency in the investigation and to remind the Spartan community that they are here to help -- no matter what.
"I’m an alum, he’s an alum, the sheriff is an alum," Lynch said, pointing to the various officers and troopers behind him. "We are truly invested into what we have here."
This update comes after the three four students killed — Brian Fraser, Arielle Anderson, and Alexandria Verner — were all honored at a massive vigil on the MSU campus Wednesday night.
Four students who were shot but survived remained hospitalized in critical condition on Thursday, while officials said a fifth wounded student has been upgraded to stable condition.
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