EAST LANSING (WWJ) - Authorities say the 43-year-old Michigan State University mass shooting suspect who killed three students and injured five others before taking his own life on Monday had a felony weapons conviction and made threats another school all the way in New Jersey.
More information on the suspect is slowly coming to light after Michigan State University Police identified the shooter as Anthony McRae, 43, on Tuesday morning.
McRae had zero connection to the school. He was not a student or staff or faculty member authorities said, and the motive behind the deadly shooting remains a mystery.
MSU police confirmed McRae died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Lansing, about five miles off-campus. after he was approached by officers around midnight on Feb. 14.
Questions continue to swirl over what prompted the 43-year-old to open fire at Berkey Hall and the nearby Union building as clues to McRae's disturbing past come to light.
Some neighbors told WWJ's Ryan Marshall they weren't even aware that McRae lived with his father, Mike, at a home about 10 minutes from the scene of the shooting.
MSU police stated at the time of McRae's death, a letter had been discovered with him.
"There have been reports of a note found on the suspect at the time of locating him," campus authorities said overnight. "We can confirm that there was in fact a note and it is currently being investigated by law enforcement."
The Township of Ewing Police Department, located just north of Trenton on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River, said in a press release on Tuesday morning that the note contained a threatening message to two local schools.
"Information received during the investigation indicated that the shooter had local ties to Ewing Township," police in New Jersey wrote. "When McRae was found by police in Michigan, he had a note in his pocket that indicated a threat to two Ewing Public Schools."
Out of precaution, the district cancelled classes for the day and officers from Ewing and surrounding departments were stationed outside the closed buildings as well as other schools in the Township.
Upon further investigation, police said McRae has not resided in the Ewing area for several years and the shooting incident was isolated to Michigan State University.
The unusual letter is one of several pieces of information being revealed by the investigation so far.
Court documents obtained by WWJ show McRae was previously pleaded guilty to a weapons charge stemming from a June 2019 incident where McRae was arrested by Lansing police after he was found walking near an abandoned building with a gun.
According to the documents, McRae admitted to having the loaded gun, but didn't possess a weapons permit. He told police that he was heading to a store to buy some cigarettes and he brought the weapon along in case he encountered any trouble along the way.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of transporting or possessing a loaded firearm in a vehicle and was eventually sentenced to probation, which ran from October 2019 to May 2021.
According to Michigan Department of Corrections spokesperson Chris Gautz, McRae also had four counts of driving with a suspended license. Court records show he also had several encounters with local police for speeding, driving without insurance and other motor vehicle offenses.
He pleaded guilty to those charges in Eaton County in 2006 and 2008 and in Ingham County in 2007 and 2008.
Officials added that McRae had a history of mental health issues while the Daily Mail reported that he often ranted on social media. He reportedly reference God and frequently posted exorcist photos, selfies with crucifixes and bible verses.
He also posted about schizophrenia and Satan.
Police said they are still attempting to piece together McRae's motive behind the shootings, but it could take days for them to come to a conclusion, if any.
"We have absolutely no idea what the motive was," said MSU Deputy Police Chief Chris Rozman on Tuesday morning. “...this truly has been a nightmare that we are living tonight."
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