Briefing held Thursday on latest MSU mass shooting information
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University officials and several law enforcement agencies held a briefing at the university following Monday’s mass shooting.
Officials on Thursday wanted to clear up some rumors and talk about what led to finding the shooter and what’s next for the East Lansing community.
During the briefing, the authorities considered a timeline of events. Officials received clues on Monday evening as to where the suspected shooter had been. Anthony McRae, the accused shooter, was about four miles from the MSU campus and walking to his home in Lansing.
As officers approached, he fatally shot himself, police claim.
Officers searched McRae and found bus tickets, two handguns and a note threatening other schools. Police say the handguns were legally purchased but not registered.
When it comes to rumors, Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee wanted to clarify a few pieces of information. Sosebee said the department was not called to the shooter’s address, they did not conduct welfare checks on the suspect, and the welfare check listed at an address linked to the suspect had nothing to do with him.
In 2005, McRae was contacted about a theft from LPD, in 2006 and 2007 he received three traffic violations. In 2019 he was arrested for carrying a gun without a concealed gun license.
The students who died were from suburban Detroit: Brian Fraser, 20, Arielle Anderson, 19, and Alexandria Verner, 20.
MSU Board of Trustees Chair Rema Vassar says the board plans to meet with students and staff who were on campus Monday night to ask where they feel safest so they can visit more places like this can create on campus.
“The Board is committed to ensuring that we are united on the other end and that Spartans from all over the world can come to this campus and feel safe, we will not let a man with a gun and a senseless act of violence steal our security.” said Vasar.
Also, police say they want input from the community because many of the lead investigators and officers are MSU graduates and a change is personal to them.
“We’re really invested in what we have here and we’re going to keep it, but it’s opening up discussions about how we’re going about it and how we’re going to create that environment, it’s not just up to us, we’re going to have discussions with our community and.” this is also a societal issue,” said MSU Police Chief Marlon Lynch.
Berkey Hall, one of the buildings where filming took place, will remain closed for the remainder of the semester.
After the Oxford High School shooting, the building was remodeled. After Sandy Hook, the school was demolished. It’s not clear if anything similar will happen to Berkey Hall before it reopens.
Classes are suspended until Monday.