Michigan State Shooting: What We Know About Shooter

EAST LANSING, MI — Police said 43-year-old Anthony McRae fatally shot three students and wounded five others Monday night at Michigan State University. Police said all five students injured in the shooting were listed in critical condition at Sparrow Hospital.

What Happened

McRae first opened fire at 8:18 p.m. inside the Berkey Hall before moving over to the union, where he fired more shots, police said. Two students were found dead at the Berkey Hall and a third was killed at the union, police said.

Surveillance video then captured McRae running away from the union, prompting an hours-long manhunt that ended when police found McRae dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at 11:35 p.m. a few miles from the campus.

"This truly has been a nightmare that we are living tonight," said MSU Deputy Chief Chris Rozman.

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Motive

Police did not reveal the exact location where McRae was found and were still working to determine a motive for the shooting.

Police do not believe he had any affiliations with the university and don't know why he opened fire at the university Monday night.

"I know everybody wants to know what the motive is," Rozman said. "We don’t have an answer right now, that’s the honest truth."

What We Know About Anthony McRae

McRae's brother told NBC News that the 43-year-old's outlook on life "changed" after the sudden loss of his mother in 2020.

"He was grieving his mom. He wouldn’t let it go. He got bitter, bitter and bitter," Michael McRae told NBC News. "His mom died, and he just started getting evil and mean. He didn’t care about anything anymore."

Neighbors to the Lansing home where McRae was living said he would often fire shots into the backyard, sometimes to quiet dogs from barking.

McRae's Criminal History

Although police did not say if McRae was living in Lansing, he does have a criminal record in Lansing.

McRae was charged with carrying a concealed pistol without a concealed carry permit in June 2019, according to state records. He eventually pleaded guilty to the possession of a loaded firearm charge and was sentenced to probation from October 2019 to May 2021.

Police said they did recover a weapon from McRae, but did not elaborate on what kind of weapon it was or if it was used in the shooting.