EAST LANSING, Mich. – A gunman opened fire Monday night at Michigan State University, killing three people and wounding five more, before fatally shooting himself off campus amid an hourslong manhunt during which frightened students hid in the dark.
Police reported the man’s death early Tuesday, four hours after shootings broke out, first at Berkey Hall, an academic building, and then nearby at the MSU Union, a popular hub to eat or study.
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“This truly has been a nightmare we’re living tonight,” said Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of the campus police department.
Hundreds of officers had scoured the East Lansing campus, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, for the suspect, whom police described as a short Black man with red shoes, a jean jacket and ball cap.
Rozman said it was too early to know a motive and whether the man had some type of affiliation with the university. His name was not immediately released.
“There’s a lot that we don’t know at this point,” Rozman said.
Two people were killed at Berkey and another was killed at the MSU Union, he said.
Sparrow Hospital spokesperson John Foren said he had no information on the conditions of five injured people.
By 10:15 p.m., police said Berkey, as well as nearby residence halls, were secured.
Before the gunman was found dead, WDIV-TV meteorologist Kim Adams, whose daughter attends Michigan State, told viewers that students were worn down by the hourslong saga.
“They’ve been hiding, all the lights off in a dark room,” Adams said. “Their cellphones are starting to lose battery charge. They don’t all have chargers with them and losing contact with the outside world is terrifying on a normal day for college kids, let alone when there’s someone out there that they haven’t caught yet.”
Aedan Kelley, a junior who lives a half-mile (less than a kilometer) east of campus, said he locked his doors and covered his windows “just in case.” Sirens were constant, he said, and a helicopter hovered overhead.
“It’s all very frightening,” Kelley said. “And then I have all these people texting me wondering if I’m OK, which is overwhelming.”
Michigan State has about 50,000 students. All campus activities were canceled for 48 hours, including athletics and classes.