EAST LANSING, Mich — The man who shot eight students at Michigan State University, killing three, was found with two handguns and a note containing a possible motive for the attack, police said Thursday.
The 9 mm guns, dozens of rounds of ammunition and the two-page note were found with Anthony McRae when he killed himself Monday night after being confronted by police, said campus deputy chief Chris Rozman.
Investigators said they still were trying to pin down a motive, three days after the violence at the 50,000-student campus in East Lansing, but the note was a key point.
“It appears based on the content of the note that he felt he was slighted in some way by people or businesses,” Rozman said at a news conference. “Did a mental health issue amplify that or was it a component of that? We're not sure at this point. We’re working our best to try to determine that as best as possible."
McRae, 43, had no connection to Michigan State as a student or employee, police said.
The shootings happened Monday during evening classes at Berkey Hall and nearby at the MSU Union, a social hub where students can study, eat and relax. Students across the vast campus were ordered to shelter in place for four hours — “run, hide, fight” if necessary — while police hunted for the gunman. Some residence halls were a mile away from the shooting scenes.
Students have described breaking windows and taking other desperate steps to escape Berkey Hall, which will stay closed through the spring term.
McRae walked nearly 4 miles toward his Lansing home after the shootings and said nothing before killing himself in front of police, said Lt. Rene Gonzalez of the state police.
McRae's father, who shared the house, told police that “his son does not have any friends,” Gonzalez said. “He pretty much sat in his room most of the time."
McRae had a misdemeanor gun conviction in 2019, though it didn't bar him from having the handguns, which Rozman noted were purchased legally but not registered.
The students who died were from suburban Detroit: Brian Fraser, 20, Arielle Anderson, 19, and Alexandria Verner, 20.
One of the five injured students was upgraded to stable condition at Sparrow Hospital. The others remained in critical condition but with “signs of improvement,” interim university President Teresa Woodruff said.
Classes remain suspended through the weekend, she said.
The briefing by police followed a Wednesday night vigil on campus that drew thousands of students. Tom Izzo, the university’s revered basketball coach and father of a student, offered words of comfort.
“Our hearts are heavy. Our loss has been great. Our lives have been permanently changed,” said Izzo, head coach since 1995. “But with a shared commitment to help each other, and a promise to remember those we have lost, we will learn to find joy once again.”
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Associated Press writer Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.
Timeline of events in Michigan State University shooting
Here's a timeline of events during and after Monday's shooting (all times Eastern).
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8:15 p.m. — Gunshot heard outside classroom. Gunman enters the room seconds later and fires several shots, witnesses say.
8:18 p.m. — Callers to 911 report a shooting inside Berkey Hall. Shortly afterward, shots reported at MSU Union building.
8:31 p.m. — University police issue secure-in-place, “run, hide, fight” alert.
10:04 p.m. — Second alert warns “a person is actively shooting” on campus, tells people to secure in place, mute cell phones, stay quiet. Suspect described as “short male with mask.”
10:26 p.m. — All campus activities canceled for 48 hours, people asked to stay away.
11 p.m. — Authorities say five people were shot, some with life-threatening injuries. Around that time, campus security cameras catch images of suspect.
11:18 p.m. — Two photos released of suspect in a stairway wearing jean jacket, red shoes, baseball cap.
11:35 p.m. — Suspect is located. Police later say an “alert citizen” recognized him in the Lansing area, miles from campus.
11:36 p.m. — Police announce three fatalities in addition to five wounded.
12:28 a.m. Tuesday — Police report suspect located off campus, and is dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot. Shelter-in-place notice lifted.
12:58 a.m. — “This is a uniquely American problem,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says in a statement decrying gun violence. “Spartans will cry and hold each other a little closer.”
1:21 a.m. — Authorities designate spot for parents to pick up students wishing to leave campus.
8 a.m. — At news conference, police say all eight shooting victims are students. Five remain in critical condition. Shooter identified as Anthony Dwayne McRae, 43.