EAST LANSING (WWJ) - Students, staff, law enforcement and the community enveloping Michigan State University are left to grapple with the tragic events of Monday evening after a mass shooter open fired on campus, killing three and critically wounding five others.
MSU Deputy Police Chief Chris Rozman provided grim, but vague details about the case that began unfolding after 911 calls of shots fired came in shortly after 8 p.m. on Feb. 13.
“This truly has been a nightmare that we are living tonight." he said during a press briefing overnight.
With rumors and false reports flooding social media, Rozman stressed that the community should go with the official statements from the Michigan State Police Police and Public Safety Facebook and Twitter pages.
So what is that police know so far? What led a 43-year-old suspect to shoot eight people and then take his own life? How did the second deadly mass shooting to strike a Michigan school in 15 months unfold?
1) 3 people are dead and 5 others are fighting for their lives
Rozman said that they began receiving reports of gunfire around 8:15 p.m. at Berkey Hall where two people were shot and killed. The suspect then moved to the nearby Union building and open fired again, killing a third person.
Word of the shootings began to spread about 8:40 p.m. when MSU Police and Public Safety issued an alert saying shots were fired on the East Lansing campus.
Students, staff and community were told to "secure-in-place immediately." A number of buildings on and off campus were placed on lockdown while students turned off their lights and barricaded doors in their dorms and apartments.
Five other people were seriously wounded in the incident and transported to Sparrow Hospital where Rozman said they are listed in critical condition.
In an early Tuesday morning press conference, Rozman said all the deceased and injured victims were students at the university.
The victims who died are identified as: 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.
2. The suspected shooter, a 43-year-old man, is dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound
Just after midnight, MSU police said there was no longer a threat to campus and the shelter-in-place, which lasted four hours, had been lifted.
The suspect, identified as 43-year-old Anthony Wayne McRae, was confronted by police near Lansing Lake Road and High Road in the city of Lansing, roughly five miles away from the scene of the original shooting.
A tip came in from a member of the public shortly after a photo of the suspect was released.
Police said they then spotted the man, who matched MSU surveillance footage of the shooter, and went to speak with him. He died shortly after of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Rozman said.
"It is confirmed that he is deceased" Rozman added.
McRae is not a current or former student, nor a staff or facility member, officials said. He has no known affiliation with MSU, and the motive behind the shooting remains unclear.
“We have no idea why he came to campus to do this tonight,” Rozman said. “It’s part of our ongoing investigation.”
WWJ's Jon Hewitt reported that police descended on the suspected shooter's home in Lansing in an attempt to find answers and learn more about the man.
Police did not confirm what type of weapon the man used in the shooting, but said that at least one firearm was recovered.
3. Rumors of more shooters and other false reports spread like wildlife on social media in the tense hours after students were told to "RUN, HIDE, FIGHT."
Contrary to rumors circulating on social media earlier in the night, police officials say there was only one suspect and tried to squash other false reports that came flooding into 911.
Officials said on Twitter another shooting was believed to have happened at IM East, with multiple people injured — but that was false.
During an 11 p.m. news briefing, officials said they had received multiple reports of other shootings at locations on and around campus and tips that were not accurate.
"There have been false reports of additional shootings, there have been false reports of the suspect seen in numerous different locations. Those reports are not accurate," Rozman said.
Other reports of bombs and explosives on campus also were untrue.
Rozman stressed during his press conferences for family, friends, students, staff and other community members to continue checking with the MSU Police and Public Safety pages on Facebook and Twitter for the latest, up-to-date information.
4. What happens next?
As the investigation continues, the East Lansing community -- along with the entire state of Michigan -- is grieving. The tragic events on Monday evening marks the second time in less than a year and a half that a school shooting has rocked a Michigan school.
All campus activities are canceled for at least 48 hours, including athletics, classes, and all campus-related activities, university officials said. Police are asking people to not come to campus today, but parents can pick up their children.
MSU Interim President Teresa Woodruff spoke at an emotional press briefing early Tuesday morning, stating that the next two days would be designated for the Spartan community to “think, and breathe and come together.”
“This is day of shock and heartbreak here across our campus and our region,” Woodruff said. “We are devastated at the loss of life and we want to wrap our warm arms around every family that is touched by this tragedy.”
There will be counseling and other services available for students at the Hannah Community Center starting at 9 a.m. on Feb. 14.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called the mass shooting "another act of senseless violence" in a statement released shortly after she was briefed on the situation Monday evening.
She called for everyone to "wrap their arms around the Spartan community tonight."
“MSU’s campus is a special place for so many, and it is now the site of another senseless act of gun violence,” she wrote. “Parents across Michigan were on pins and needles calling their kids to check in on them and tell them they love them. It doesn’t have to be this way.”
“Spartans will cry and hold each other a little closer,” the governor continued. “We will mourn the loss of beautiful souls and pray for those fighting for their lives in the hospital.”
Whitmer has ordered U.S. and Michigan flags within the State Capitol Complex and upon all public buildings and grounds across the state of Michigan to be lowered to half-staff immediately on Tuesday and until further notice to honor and remember the victims of the shooting.
"The whole state of Michigan is wrapping its arms around the Spartan community today," Whitmer said.
A White House official says President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting at Michigan State and spoke to Gov. Whitmer last night. The FBI and other federal law enforcement agents are already on campus to support local and state response efforts.
The FBI is assisting police in the investigation as it continues into Tuesday morning. Police are asking anyone who witnessed the shooting or knows something about it to call the MSU tip line at 844-99-MSUPD or email tips@police.msu.edu.
There is another briefing scheduled for 8 a.m. on Tuesday. Stay tuned to WWJ for live coverage as further details are released by officials.