News Release: Active Violence Incident
February 14, 2023
EAST LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan State University Department of Police and Public Safety (MSU DPPS) is saddened to share information regarding the tragedy that occurred on campus Monday evening. We cannot begin to fathom the immeasurable amount of pain that our campus community is feeling. We want to ensure our community that our department as well as our law enforcement partners will conduct a comprehensive and thorough investigation regarding this tragic incident. The deceased victims have been identified as the following:
Arielle Anderson, Junior, Grosse Pointe
Brian Fraser, Sophomore, Grosse Pointe
Alexandria Verner, Junior, Clawson
5 students were transported to the hospital with injuries and have all been discharged as of April 4. After careful consideration and out of respect for the families, MSU DPPS will not be confirming the names of the students who were injured at this time. We sincerely ask the media and community members to respect the families’ privacy.
The first call reporting an active shooter took place at 8:18 p.m. at Berkey Hall. A shelter-in-place was immediately put into place for campus and the surrounding community. The MSU Alert system and MSU Emergency Operations Center were both immediately activated. Officers from all across the state responded to campus and began to complete a comprehensive search in attempt to locate the suspect.
The suspect was captured on campus security cameras at approximately 11:00 p.m. The suspect photos were disseminated across MSU DPPS social media channels and through our media partners at 11:18 p.m. Because of the quick release of photos, a caller’s tip was able to lead officers to the suspect at approximately 11:35 p.m., only 17 minutes after the release of the photos.
We sincerely want to thank our community for their active efforts in helping us locate the suspect. This is a prime example of how ‘See Something, Say Something’ is effective and works to help keep our community safe. The suspect has been identified as 43-year-old Anthony Dwayne McRae and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
We know this news may be difficult for those within our campus community and beyond. It’s important to remember that the grief some individuals may be experiencing is normal and there are a number of ways in which individuals can seek support, including talking with friends, family and colleagues to process this. Resources are listed below and are also available at the Hannah Community Center on Abbot Road in East Lansing.
General info: 517-884-6526; Nurse on-call: 517-353-9165
EAP is a confidential, free counseling service for employees: 517-355-4506, eap@msu.edu.
Counseling & Psychiatry Services
CAPS is the place for students seeking help for a wide range of health concerns.
We will stand together as a community and support one another during this difficult time.
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Contact:
Dana Whyte, Communications Manager and Spokesperson, Michigan State University Department of Police and Public Safety
Chris Rozman, Chief of Police, Michigan State University Department of Police and Public Safety