EAST LANSING (WWJ) - Loner, outcast, rejected -- these are just a few of the words that Anthony McRae wrote to describe himself in a letter discovered by police hours after he committed a mass shooting at Michigan State University, killing three students and injuring four more last month.
In an update to the case on Friday morning, Michigan State University's Public Safety Department released the hand-written letter that McRae, 43, had on him when he took his own life after the fatal shooting on Feb. 13.
According to police, it was written one day prior to the tragedy and provided possible reasons behind his actions, as well as other places he wanted to target.
Some of the content contained in the note maybe disturbing to some viewers -- discretion is advised.
MSU and FBI investigators say despite what he wrote in the letter, they determined McRae acted alone and was not working with other people
"Why? Why? Why? I've been hurt," the shooter wrote at the top of the letter, before introducing himself. "There's a group of us, 20 of us, and I'm the leader."
McRae wrote that his group was going to commit acts of violence at Colorado State University, a high school and middle school in New Jersey, a church, other locations in the City of Lansing and more.
Some of the shooter's targets were redacted by authorities to protect the privacy of outside entities.
The letter outlined a man in emotional turmoil as he repeated over and over, "they hurted me," under his list of targets before launching into how he felt alone, unnoticed and unaccepted.
In a series of points, McRae wrote, "I'm tired of being regected [sic}, They made me who I'm am [sic] today a killer. Every where [sic] I go people treat me different. I don't want to be a American African. I am a person. Why do people hate me?"
He stated in his letter that it had been over a decade since he had sex and that his father had nothing to do with his plans. He also drew several sad faces with tears on the front and back of the note, with the words "They hate me" repeated in the corner.
Police said McRae took his own life just after midnight on Feb. 14 after he was confronted by Lansing police roughly five miles from campus where he open fired first at Berkey Hall before firing again at the nearby Union building.
Students Brian Fraser, age 20, a sophomore from Grosse Pointe; Alexandria Verner, age 20, a junior from Clawson; Arielle Anderson, age 19, junior, from Gross Pointe were all killed in the attack.
After video surveillance footage of the suspect was released by authorities, a tip came in from a member of the public who reported seeing a man that matched the suspect's description.
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Police said they went to investigate and located the man -- he died shortly after of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
McRae is not a current or former student, nor a staff or facility member, officials had said earlier in their investigation. He has no known affiliation with MSU, and the motive behind the shooting remained unclear.
“We have no idea why he came to campus to do this tonight,” MSU Lt. Chris Rozman said last month. “It’s part of our ongoing investigation.”
MSU Police and Public Safety is continuing their investigation into the incident and no other details were made available. Authorities provided a list of resources to help those recovering from the event with the understanding that updates can be difficult for students, staff and families.
"It’s important to remember that the grief some individuals may be experiencing is normal and there are several ways in which individuals can seek support, including talking with friends, family and colleagues to process," university police stated.
The following on-campus resources are as follows:
• MSU Student Health Services
General info: 517-884-6526
Nurse on-call: 517-353-9165
• MSU Employee Assistance Program
EAP is a confidential, free counseling service for employees: 517-355-4506, eap@msu.edu.
• Counseling and Psychiatry Services
CAPS is the place for students seeking help for a wide range of health concerns.
• MSU Department of Psychiatry
Psychiatry Clinic: 517-353-3070
Authorities stated that "MSU continues to stand together as a community and support one another during this difficult time."