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, 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, 3:26 PM EST

University releases names of victims

The three Michigan State students killed in the shooting have been identified by university police.

Brian Fraser, a sophomore, and Arielle Anderson, a junior, were both from Grosse Pointe, Michigan.

Brian Fraser, one of the victims of the Michigan State University shooting, is shown in this undated file photo.
The Fraser Family

Alexandria Verner, a junior, was from Clawson, Michigan.

Alexandria Verner, one of the victims of the Michigan State University shooting, is shown in this undated photo.
The Verner Family

Five other students remain in the hospital in critical condition following the attack.

Feb 14, 2023, 2:19 PM EST

Suspect walked from his home to campus, viewed himself as ‘loner’

The FBI offered new details on the suspected gunman in a confidential briefing to law enforcement on Tuesday.

Investigators have determined 43-year-old Anthony McRae walked from his home to Michigan State and had no connection to the university or the victims.

PHOTO: Michigan State University students embrace at The Rock on campus, on Feb. 14, 2023, in East Lansing, Mich.
Michigan State University students embrace at The Rock on campus, on Feb. 14, 2023, in East Lansing, Mich. Police say the gunman who killed himself hours after fatally shooting three students at Michigan State University was 43-year-old Anthony McRae. Police also say five people who are in critical condition Tuesday are also students.)
Carlos Osorio/AP

Authorities said that when McRae was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, he had a “3-page document expressing his reasons for the attack and a number of additional locations in Lansing and Holt, Mich.; Ewing Township and Franklin Park, NJ; and Colorado Springs, Colo., which had ‘hurted’ (sic) him and, therefore, were deserving of attack.” Agents believe he had “personal grievances” with people at those locations.

McRae lived with his father, who is cooperating with the investigation, the FBI reported.

Investigators said the suspect’s writings confirmed he “was often alone.” The briefing said the gunman viewed himself as “a loner” and an “outcast” who was “never noticed or accepted by others.”

-ABC News’ Josh Margolin

Feb 14, 2023, 1:12 PM EST

Biden urges Congress to 'enact commonsense gun law reforms'

President Joe Biden said in a statement Tuesday, “Our hearts are with these young victims and their families, the broader East Lansing and Lansing communities, and all Americans across the country grieving as the result of gun violence.”

PHOTO: Michigan State University students embrace at The Rock on campus, Feb. 14, 2023, in East Lansing, Mich.
Michigan State University students embrace at The Rock on campus, on Feb. 14, 2023, in East Lansing, Mich. Police say the gunman who killed himself hours after fatally shooting three students at Michigan State University was 43-year-old Anthony McRae. Police also say five people who are in critical condition Tuesday are also students.
Carlos Osorio/AP

Biden noted that the Michigan State mass shooting came one night before the U.S. marked five years since the Parkland, Florida, high school massacre. In the Feb. 14, 2018 school shooting in Parkland, 17 students and staff were gunned down.

"I have taken action to combat this epidemic in America, including a historic number of executive actions and the first significant gun safety law in nearly 30 years, but we must do more,” Biden said.

PHOTO: Flowers are displayed at The Rock at Michigan State University, on Feb. 14, 2023, in East Lansing, Mich.
Flowers are displayed at The Rock at Michigan State University, on Feb. 14, 2023, in East Lansing, Mich. Police say the gunman who killed himself hours after fatally shooting several students and injuring others at Michigan State University was a 43-year-old with a previous gun violation.
Carlos Osorio/AP

He stressed, “Congress must do something and enact commonsense gun law reforms, including requiring background checks on all gun sales, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, closing loopholes in our background check system, requiring safe storage of guns, and eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers who knowingly put weapons of war on our streets. Action is what we owe to those grieving today in Michigan and across America.”

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.