At least three people have been reported killed while at least five others have been reported injured in multiple shootings Monday night at the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing. The shooter remains at large.
Police have advised people on campus to remain sheltered in place and others to avoid the area.
On Twitter, police said there only appears to be one suspect, and he is believed to be on foot. After a preliminary news briefing, police released an image of the suspect obtained by surveillance footage.
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During the briefing, which occurred at 11 p.m. Monday night, Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of Michigan State University Police, said the suspect was last seen leaving the north side of the MSU Union building.
What happened?
Rozman said that the incident began at around 8:18 p.m. at the campus’ Berkey Hall. Police received multiple calls of a shooting incident in the hall. “We were quickly on scene within minutes,” he said.
“There was another report of a shooting immediately following the first incident,” Rozman said, this time at the MSU Union building some 400 meters away.
In an alert sent out around 8:30 p.m., police notified the campus community that shots were fired. Another alert issued an hour and a half later said the incident was “actively ongoing.” Guidance advised students to “Run, Hide and Fight”—an active shooter protocol that has been promoted by the FBI, among others.
Rozman said several victims were tended to at both scenes. Three people have so far been reported killed, while at least five people have been transported to Sparrow Hospital, some with “life-threatening injuries,” according to Rozman.
What happens now?
Rozman said police will provide hourly updates on the situation. “You’re probably hearing a lot of information and misinformation right now,” he said. There have been “false reports of additional shootings, false reports of the suspect seen in numerous different locations. Those reports are not accurate.”
The Detroit divisions of the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms have said they are also actively responding to the incident.
The university has since canceled all activities for 48 hours and told people not to head to the campus tomorrow.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whimer said she has been briefed on the shootings.
“The Michigan State Police along with [Michigan State University police], local law enforcement and first responders are on the ground,” she tweeted Monday night. “Let’s wrap our arms around the Spartan community tonight. We will keep everyone updated as we learn more.”
There is no universally agreed upon definition of a mass shooting. But the Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings to involve four or more injuries or deaths not including the shooter, records the violence at Michigan State University as the 67th such incident in the U.S. since the start of this year.
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