On Tuesday, police identified the perpetrator of the shooting that occurred at Michigan State University.
The shooter, 43-year-old Anthony Dwayne McRae, killed three students and critically injured five others before being found dead from a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound at 11:35 p.m.
The police stated that there was no apparent connection between the shooter and the university and did not provide a possible motive in their early morning update.
The victims who were killed and wounded were all students.
In two different locations on the vast East Lansing campus, approximately 90 miles northwest of Detroit, gunshots were fired, and students were killed.
Anthony Dwayne McRae first initiated the shooting in Berkey Hall, an academic building where two of the fatalities were discovered.
He then proceeded to shoot at the MSU Union building, which contains a student dining hall, where a third person was killed.
A survivor named Claire Papoulias recounted that the gunman entered her classroom through the rear door and began firing at the approximately 20 students present without saying a word.
When she heard three or four gunshots directly behind her head, she immediately dropped to the ground as someone shouted that there was a shooter.
“I was terrified and believed I might not make it,” she recounted to the NBC morning show, commending fellow students for courageously breaking windows to assist them in escaping.
In the midst of the violence, she phoned her mother, Natalie Papoulias, who heard three gunshots and Claire’s screams.
“It was the worst possible scenario,” her mother stated, and she felt as if her legs would buckle as she hurried to get in her car and rush to the campus.
“I feel as if she narrowly escaped death,” she added.
Original Story:
On Monday night, a shooter attacked Michigan State University’s main campus, resulting in the death of three people and the injury of five others.
The assailant, a 43-year-old man with no apparent ties to the university, was found dead after a lengthy search by law enforcement.
The police have not yet determined his motive for the attack, which occurred on the expansive East Lansing campus located roughly 90 miles northwest of Detroit.
This information was shared during a press conference that took place early in the morning, more than five hours after the violence began.
Although information about the order of events is limited, according to Chris Rozman, the interim deputy chief of the university police, gunfire was heard in two separate locations on the Michigan State University (MSU) campus: Berkey Hall, an academic building, and the MSU Union building.
Following the shooting, police officers arrived at the scene and discovered victims at both locations.
During a televised briefing, Rozman stated that the motive for the attack is currently unknown, and that the university did not receive any warnings of potential violence before the incident.
According to Rozman, three individuals died as a result of the shooting, while five others were transported to a nearby hospital in Lansing, the state capital, and are currently listed in critical condition.
The deceased victims were located in both Berkey Hall and the MSU Union building.
Authorities did not disclose any information regarding the victims’ identities or their connections to the university as some details were still being determined, said Rozman.
The perpetrator’s name and other identifying information were not immediately released, and police remain uncertain about the cause of the shooting.
The suspect is a Black male, shorter in stature, red shoes, jean jacket, wearing a baseball cap that is navy with a lighter brim.
Rozman informed reporters that they were unaware of why the shooter decided to carry out the attack on campus.
The gunman was confirmed dead, likely by a self-inflicted gunshot, approximately four hours after the incident began, and the police believe that there is no further danger to the campus community.
According to Rozman, there was only one suspect in this matter, and law enforcement officials had made contact with the individual off-campus, which is currently being examined as a crime scene.
It is still uncertain if law enforcement officers found the shooter deceased following a confrontation, or if the perpetrator had died by their own hand during the encounter.
