MSU mass shooting: Suspect's handguns were legally purchased

Three students were killed and five others were injured in Monday's shooting.

ByMorgan Winsor, Emily Shapiro, Meredith Deliso, and Ivan Pereira
Last Updated: February 16, 2023, 3:26 PM EST

Three students were killed and five others were injured when a gunman opened fire at two locations on Michigan State University's main campus in East Lansing on Monday night, police said.

After an hourslong manhunt, police found the suspect -- identified as 43-year-old Anthony McRae -- dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound off campus.

Four of the injured students were in critical condition and one was in stable condition on Thursday, officials said.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.
Feb 14, 2023, 1:04 PM EST

Timeline of the shooting

The first active shooter call came in at 8:18 p.m. from Berkey Hall, an academic building, and the university immediately told students to shelter in place, the Michigan State University Police Department said.

Shots were fired soon after at the student union.

A worker cleans up outside Berkey Hall at Michigan State University, Feb. 14, 2023, in East Lansing, Mich.
Carlos Osorio/AP

At about 11 p.m., the suspected gunman was seen on campus security cameras, police said.

Images of the suspect were shared with the public at 11:18 p.m., police said.

At about 11:35 p.m., a caller’s tip led police to the suspect, authorities said.

Feb 14, 2023, 12:36 PM EST

Suspect had 2 guns, numerous magazines

The suspected shooter, 43-year-old Anthony Dwayne McRae, lived in Lansing, officials said.

PHOTO: This booking photo provided by Michigan Department of Corrections shows Anthony McRae.
This booking photo provided by Michigan Department of Corrections shows Anthony McRae. Police identified McRae, who killed three students and wounded five at Michigan State University, saying Feb. 14, 2023, that a tip from the public led to a confrontation with officers miles from campus where the gunman fatally shot himself.
Michigan Department of Corrections via AP

The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound as law enforcement was approaching, a law enforcement source briefed on the situation said.

The source added that a firearm was recovered at the scene, and a second firearm was found in a backpack along with numerous magazines.

McRae served 18 months in prison between 2019 and 2021 on a weapons charge for having a loaded weapon in his vehicle, according to Michigan’s Department of Corrections.

-ABC News’ Lucien Bruggeman, Luke Barr and Josh Margolin

Feb 14, 2023, 11:56 AM EST

Shock, fear, confusion at Michigan State

At Michigan State, students and staff are overcome with shock, fear and confusion, Lansing Mayor Andy Schor told ABC News’ “GMA3.”

“It's a terrible time. No mayor, no governor, no elected official ever wants to be up all night or wake up to a situation like this,” he said.

Schor said mental health resources are available.

Schor said the five injured students “are critical but stable.”

“It’s touch and go,” he said. “and the doctors are doing their best to work as aggressively as possible.”

Feb 14, 2023, 11:04 AM EST

Suspect had note indicating threat to NJ schools

When the suspect, 43-year-old Anthony McRae, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said there was a note in his pocket indicating a threat to two public schools in Ewing, New Jersey, according to Ewing police.

Police walk around Berkey Hall early on Feb. 14, 2023, on the Michigan State campus in East Lansing, Mich.
Nick King/Lansing State Journal via USA Today

McRae had local ties to Ewing but hasn’t lived in the area in several years, police said.

Ewing Public Schools are closed on Tuesday out of an abundance of caution, police said. However, no threat has been found and schools are expected to reopen on Wednesday, police said.

McRae “had a history of mental health issues,” police added.

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