Michigan State University (MSU) was rattled by a shooting that left three dead and five in critical condition on Monday night. The shooting began in Berkley Hall which left two dead. The shooter then moved to the MSU Union where another person was killed. 

An alert was sent out at 8:31 pm to MSU students telling them to “run, hide, fight.” All students were told to shelter in place until authorities had the situation under control. Students in the library said that they used furniture to barricade themselves in a room to escape the shooter. 

“We are devastated at the loss of life. Our campus grieves, we will all grieve. We will change over time. We cannot allow this to continue to happen again.” MSU President Teresa Woodruff said. 

The gunman has been identified as 43-year-old Anthony McRae who was found dead after a self-inflicted gun wound off campus on Tuesday morning. McRae has had a record with gun related crimes, but the motive for the shooting is still being determined as he had no connection with the university. Anthony McRae’s father said that,  “Ever since my wife died, my son began to change. He was getting more and more bitter. Angry and bitter. So angry. Evil angry…He began to really let himself go.” 

MSU has moved to emergency operations giving students and faculty two days off “to think, grieve and be together” after a “day of shock and heartbreak.” A police investigation is looking into the specifics of this incident as more details emerge. 

The MSU community will have a long road ahead to recover from the losses that occurred due to this tragic incident.