MSU mass shooting: Suspect's handguns were legally purchased

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

Last Updated: February 16, 2023, 2:46 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.

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Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.
Feb 16, 2023, 2:46 PM EST

Suspect's handguns were legally purchased but not registered

The suspect in Monday's mass shooting at Michigan State had two 9 mm handguns and additional magazines and ammunition on him when he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Michigan State University Interim Deputy Chief Chris Rozman said at a news conference Thursday.

Students, faculty and others in the community attend a vigil on the campus of Michigan State University on Feb. 15, 2023 following Monday's shooting in East Lansing, Mich.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

The guns were purchased legally but were not registered, Rozman said.

The suspect, 43-year-old Anthony McRae, was found dead about 3.8 miles from the MSU campus on Monday night, Rozman said.

Michigan State University juniors Morgan Wright, left, and Ava Van Vleck embrace as they reflect at the Sparty statue, Feb. 14, 2023, on the MSU campus in East Lansing a day after a shooting at the university.
Nick King/Lansing State Journal via USA Today

McRae had a two-page note that listed threats against Michigan State, two New Jersey schools, and 13 local businesses, including a Meijer grocery store chain warehouse where he had previously worked, Michigan State Police said.

Body camera video showed McRae did not say anything to officers before he died by suicide, authorities said.

Police said they interviewed McRae's father who indicated that his son rarely left his room and had no friends.

Marlon Lynch, MSU’s vice president for public safety and chief of police, commended the students who helped render aid to their classmates when gunfire erupted in Berkey Hall.

Mourners attend a vigil at The Rock on the grounds of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., Feb. 15, 2023.
Al Goldis/AP

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

Their names have still not been released.

-ABC News’ Alex Perez and Whitney Lloyd

Feb 15, 2023, 9:19 PM EST

Thousands gather on campus for memorial vigil

Thousands of mourners gathered at Michigan State University's campus Wednesday night to pay their respects to the students who were shot Monday.

School president Teresa K. Woodruff spoke at the event, which included poems, songs and reflections from students and elected officials including Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

"We remember and honor the three Spartan students so cruelly taken from their families, friends and us," she said.

"Each came to join the very special, this extraordinary campus."

Mourners attend a vigil at The Rock on the grounds of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., on Feb. 15, 2023.
Paul Sancya/AP

Whitmer, a Michigan State alum, spoke about the courageous efforts that students and teachers did to help the wounded. She said she spoke to one of the hospitalized victims who told her that a fellow student took off their shirt and used it to put pressure on his wound and save his life.

"Countless Spartans were heroes," the governor said.

Mourners sit at The Rock on the grounds of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., on Feb. 15, 2023.
Paul Sancya/AP

Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo said he also visited the hospital where some of the wounded were recuperating and called on the community to keep those victims in their thoughts.

He also urged the campus community to take comfort in their friends and family as they process the violence.

"We all process trauma in a very different way, I'm just glad we're all here tonight," he said.

Feb 15, 2023, 1:26 PM EST

MSU students protest at Michigan capitol

Michigan State students channeled their grief into protest as they gathered at the capitol in Lansing to urge gun reform.

Hundreds braved cold and windy weather as they sat on the building’s majestic steps and listened to sympathetic and angry speeches calling for legislative action to curb the violence they and students across the nation have been exposed to.

Michigan State University students gather on the front steps of the Capitol, in Lansing, Mich., Feb. 15, 2023.
Nick King/Lansing State Journal via USA Today

-ABC News’ Andy Fies

Feb 15, 2023, 7:13 AM EST

Communities mourn victims at vigils across Michigan

Hundreds of people gathered at memorials, prayer services and candlelight vigils across Michigan on Tuesday night to honor the three students who were killed and five others who were injured in Monday's mass shooting at Michigan State University.

Mourners attend a candlelight vigil for Alexandria Verner at the Clawson High School football field in Clawson, Mich., Feb. 14, 2023.
Paul Sancya/AP

More vigils are planned for the rest of the week, including one scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET at The Rock, a 149-year-old landmark on MSU's main campus in East Lansing.

Mourners attend a candlelight vigil for Alexandria Verner at the Clawson High School football field in Clawson, Mich., Feb. 14, 2023.
Paul Sancya/AP