Who Is The Michigan State University Shooter And Why Did He Open Fire On Campus?

UPDATED: 9:30 a.m. ET

Who is the Michigan State University shooter and why did he open fire on campus?

The gunman at Michigan State University (MSU) who killed at least three people and injured at least five others in separate campus shootings on Monday night has been identified as a 43-year-old Black male. Little other information was immediately released as the school and its students in East Lansing reel from the violence.

On Tuesday morning, police identified the gunman as Anthony Dwayne McCrae.

All three people killed were students. Their identities were not immediately made public.

According to reports, there was no apparent motive for the shootings and police said the gunman was not affiliated with MSU. After police confronted him a while later off campus, the suspect turned a gun on himself and died by suicide. The police were reportedly tipped off about McCrae’s whereabouts.

Michigan State Police and Public Safety tweeted a photo it says shows the gunman on campus. He was described as “a Black male, shorter in stature, red shoes, jean jacket, wearing a baseball cap that is navy with a lighter brim.”

https://twitter.com/msupolice/status/1625348771386204161?s=20&t=cIsKukjxrk35P_WxqMppuA

Motive

Police said they were seeking the gunman’s motive.

“We have no idea why he came to campus to do this tonight,” MSU interim Deputy Chief Chris Rozman told reporters during a briefing late Monday night.

The shootings

The first shooting was reported to police around 8:15 p.m. local time and took place in an academic building in which classes were being held. That prompted MSU to send its students and staff a message about 15 minutes later advising them to “run, hide, fight.”

The second shooting took place in a building that contained a dining hall.

At least one person was killed in the building with the dining area and at least two others were killed in the academic building.

A student in Berkey Hall said he saw a classmate shot in their classroom.

“Six or seven times,” Jin Du told the State News, MSU’s campus newspaper.

Du said he was able to escape by jumping from the classroom’s first-floor window.

While police responded to the shooting at Berkey Hall, the gunman was apparently making his way toward MSU Union building, where the second shooting took place.

Black mass shooters are rare

It was not clear how much the gunman’s race factored into the shooting. But what was abundantly clear is that he is an exception to what’s all but become a rule of mass shootings being waged by white males.

According to statistics, just 24 mass shootings since the nation began tracking them in 1982 have been carried out by Black shooters. Nearly three times as many white people have carried out mass shootings in that same time span.

Michigan gun laws

Michigan’s gun laws may have played a role in the shooting.

From the Washington Post:

Michigan does not allow concealed firearms on college campuses or at schools. Although obtaining handguns and other firearms requires a background check, the state is missing several key safety measures, according to Everytown Research and Policy, a U.S. gun violence prevention organization.

People carrying concealed firearms in public are required to obtain a permit, but the state does not bar domestic abusers or convicted stalkers from accessing guns. The state allows the purchase of “assault” weapons designed for military use and does not ban high-capacity magazines.

 

This is a developing story that will be updated as additional information becomes available.

SEE ALSO:

UVA Shooting Suspect Christopher Darnell Jones Is Former Football Player And Honors Student

HBCU Homecoming Violence Highlights Complex Issue Of Safety At Black Colleges

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