Michigan State University shooting – live: Three dead and five wounded in attack on campus

A man has shot dead at least three people and wounded another five at Michigan State University, police said.

There appeared to be one suspect responsible for the shooting who has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Images of the suspect released earlier were accompanied by a description of a short Black male wearing a jean jacket, baseball cap and red shoes.

Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of the campus police department, said hundreds of officers were on the East Lansing campus to respond to the attack.

Students were ordered to continue sheltering in place, as he informed the community that campus activities would remain suspended for the next 48 hours.

Victims were transported to Sparrow Hospital, said MSU Police and Public Safety on Twitter.

Authorities ordered students and staff to shelter in place after a report of shots fired shortly after 8.30pm around Berkey Hall, an academic building, at the East Lansing campus.

Separately, police on Twitter reported a shooting at IM East, a recreational center for students. But Mr Rozman did not mention it during the news briefing, later identifying the second location as the Michigan State University Union building.

Key points

• Three people dead in MSU shooting

• Five injured, some with life-threatening injuries

• Police release image of suspected gunman at large

• Suspect described as Black male wearing red shoes, jean jacket and baseball cap

Breaking: Three people dead in MSU shooting

04:50 , Namita Singh

“There are three confirmed fatalities,” in the shooting at Michigan State University said police. “This is in addition to the five victims who have been transported to the hospital.”

Campus to remain shut for next 48 hours

05:52 , Namita Singh

Michigan State University campus will remain closed for next 48 hours, said campus police. The shutdown may be extended, added Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of the campus police department.

Breaking: Suspected shooter dead

05:38 , Namita Singh

The suspect in the fatal Michigan State University shootings has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, campus police said during a midnight press briefing.

Police releases surveillance image of suspected shooter

05:34 , Namita Singh

Student living off campus fears for life as shooter remains on loose

05:26 , Namita Singh

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.”

‘They’ve been hiding, all the lights off in a dark room’

05:25 , Namita Singh

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.”

Police confirm shootings at two places on campus

05:25 , Namita Singh

Authorities ordered students and staff to shelter in place after a report of shots fired shortly after 8.30pm around Berkey Hall, an academic building, at the East Lansing campus.

Separately, police wrote on Twitter that there had been another reported shooting at IM East, a recreational centre for students.

Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of the campus police department, did not mention IM East during the news briefing a short while ago, however, instead identifying the second shooting location as the Michigan State University Union building.

Police releases image of the suspect

04:54 , Namita Singh

“The suspect is a Black male, shorter in stature, red shoes, jean jacket, wearing a baseball cap that is navy with a lighter brim,” said MSU police on Twitter as they shared the surveillance footage showing the suspected gunman.

Suspect described as ‘black male wearing red shoes’

04:21 , Namita Singh

The MSU police officials described the suspect as a “Black male, shorter in stature” and wearing red shoes.

Community members were directed to remain sheltered in place, with police adding that the suspect is still on the loose. The officials are expected to release the surveillance footage of the suspect shortly.

Five injured, some with life-threatening injuries

04:15 , Namita Singh

MSU police confirmed that five people have been injured in the shooting on campus adding that some victims have “life-threatening injuries”.

“There were five victims. All victims transported to hospital. Some victims do have life-threatening injuries,” said MSU police during the press briefing.

14 months since last major shooting in Michigan

04:10 , Namita Singh

Monday night’s violence at Michigan State University came roughly 14 months after a deadly mass shooting on 30 November 2021, at Oxford High School in Oakland County, Michigan, about 80 miles east of East Lansing, in which a 15-year-old student opened fire with a semi-automatic pistol.

Four classmates were killed and six other students and a teacher were wounded in that attack, the deadliest US school shooting that year.

Authorities said the teenage suspect, who has pleaded not guilty to murder charges, used a gun his parents bought him as a Christmas present despite signs that he was emotionally disturbed. Both parents were charged with involuntary manslaughter in the case.

Campus activities cancelled for two days

03:57 , Namita Singh

All campus activities at Michigan State University are cancelled for the next 48 hours, said MSU police and Public Safety on Twitter as it urged students and staff to “not come to campus tomorrow”.

Police briefing at 11pm ET

03:54 , Namita Singh

Michigan State Univeristy Police and Public Safety is expected to hold a press briefing at 11pm at the Henry Centre for Executive Development.

Victims transported to Sparrow Hospital

03:53 , Namita Singh

Victims are currently being transported to Sparrow Hospital, said MSU Police and Public Safety on Twitter.

“Brody Hall, Snyder/Phillips Hall, Mason Hall, Abbot Hall, Landon Hall, the MSU Union, and Berkey Hall have all been cleared/secured.”

Michigan governor issues statement about shooting

03:47 , Namita Singh

Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer has been briefed by the authorities about the shooting at Michigan State University, she said in a tweet.

“The Michigan State Police along with @msupolice, local law enforcement and first responders are on the ground,” she said.

“Let’s wrap our arms around the Spartan community tonight.”

Single suspect described as 'a short male wearing a mask'

03:46 , Namita Singh

Police in East Lansing tweeted that a single suspect, initially described as a short male wearing a mask, was at large and believed to be on foot.

Students, faculty and residents in surrounding off-campus neighborhoods were urged by authorities to “shelter in place,” while police searched for the suspect.

MSU is a major public institution of higher education whose flagship East Lansing campus accounts for 50,000 graduate and undergraduate students.

Unspecified number of victims moved to hospital

03:38 , Namita Singh

“There are multiple reported injuries,” Michigan State University said on its official police and public safety Twitter feed. It later said an unspecified number of victims were being transported to a nearby hospital.

Several campus buildings had been cleared and secured nearly two hours after the gunfire was first reported on campus, MSU police said.

One dead and 'multiple' injuries after Michigan State University shooting

03:35 , Namita Singh

Gunfire erupted at Michigan State University on Monday, leaving at least one person dead and multiple reported injuries, as police swarmed the main campus in East Lansing searching for a lone suspect, according to authorities and local news media.

Few official details about the gun violence were immediately available, but university police said on Twitter that shots were fired in two locations - near an academic building called Berkey Hall and an athletic facility known as IM East.

The Detroit News reported one confirmed fatality on campus, inside Berkey Hall, citing Michigan State University (MSU) spokesperson Emily Guerrant, but Reuters could not independently verify that information.

03:16 , Namita Singh

Welcome to The Independent’s liveblog for Tuesday, 14 January 2023, where we provide the latest on shooting at the Michigan State University.