MSU police missed shooter by 1 minute at Union as hundreds of 911 calls poured in
EAST LANSING — Police entered Berkey Hall two minutes after the first call reporting shots had been fired on the night a lone gunman killed three students and wounded five others at Michigan State University.
The MSU Department of Police and Public Safety on Friday released a timeline showing the movements of Anthony McRae, 43, who police have said is responsible for the shooting.
Ingham County 911 received the first call about a shooting at Berkey Hall at 8:18 p.m. Officers entered the hall two minutes later, at 8:20, according to a press release.
At 8:24, police said McRae entered the MSU Union with the first report of a shooting there coming at 8:26 p.m. Police believe McRae left the Union and campus at 8:26 p.m. Officers arrived 1 minute later at 8:27 p.m., according to the press release.
Authorities sent out the first emergency alert notification at 8:30 p.m. and a second notification at 8:31 p.m.
A photo of McRae was shared on MSU Department of Police and Public Safety's social media at 11:18 p.m., exactly three hours after the first call reporting shots fired.
Police did not release McRae's movements after he left campus, saying the investigation is ongoing and police are still finalizing details.
But police, shortly after the shooting, said 911 dispatchers received a call at 11:35 p.m. with reports of a person matching McRae's description walking on Lake Lansing Road near High Street in north Lansing. Michigan State Police said McRae fatally shot himself at 11:49 p.m. after being approached by police.
Students Arielle Anderson, Brian Fraser and Alexandria Verner were killed. Five students were critically injured. Two remained at Sparrow Hospital as of Thursday.
Here's the timeline as released by MSU police:
8:18 p.m. — First shots fired call at Berkey Hall received by Ingham County 911
8:20 p.m. — Officers enter Berkey Hall
8:24 p.m. — McRae enters the Union
8:26 p.m. — First report of shooting at the Union
8:26 p.m. — McRae exits the Union and leaves campus
8:27 p.m. — Officers arrive at the Union
8:30 p.m. — First emergency alert notification sent
8:31 p.m. — Second emergency alert notification sent
11:18 p.m. — Photo of suspect shared on MSU DPPS social media
11:35 p.m. — Ingham County 911 receives call of person matching the description of the shooter walking on Lake Lansing Road near High Street in the city of Lansing
11:49 p.m. — Officers approach McRae and he shoots himself
MSU police could have locked many campus buildings remotely on the night of the shooting and prevented McRae from accessing the buildings, including the MSU Union. MSU officials chose not to remotely lock those buildings as they said the system would have prevented law enforcement and emergency responders from entering the buildings.
MSU has acknowledged it lacks the ability to monitor all security cameras in real-time, which is crucial in deciding which buildings to lock and when. MSU established a five-year security plan that includes upgraded camera and door-locking systems that it plans to accelerate. But doing so likely will require a significant boost in state funding.
Police said 911 dispatchers received about 2,100 calls between 8 p.m. Feb. 13 and 1 a.m. Feb. 14, with about 1,450 of those being 911 calls. That is the equivalent of about 2 1/2 days worth of calls for the dispatch center.
Additionally, there were 3,136 radio “push to talks” by police officers on the radio channel used by MSU Police and Public Safety and the East Lansing Police Department. A “push to talk” is every time an officer or dispatcher pushes the button to transmit on their two-way radio.
MSU released a map of where the calls came from on campus.
Police also released a redacted copy of a note that was found on McRae after his death. McRae wrote that he was tired of being "rejected," describing himself as a "loner" and an "outsider" in the two-page note he was carrying.
Multiple law enforcement agencies continue to investigate the shooting. MSU is also seeking proposals for a firm to conduct an external after-action review of the university's response to the shooting.
Students, staff and community members can find counseling and mental health resources here:
Go to go.msu.edu/crisissupport for a complete listing of mental health and other support MSU is offering.
The Counseling and Psychiatric Services Department, or CAPS, within MSU's Health and Wellbeing Division has support available at studenthealth.msu.edu. Crisis support is available around the clock. CAPS can be reached by calling 517-355-8270. Students needing immediate support outside of normal business hours can call 517-355-8270, press 1, and be connected immediately with a crisis counselor.
MSU Department of Psychiatry Clinic can be reached at 517-353-3070.
The MSU Employee Assistance Program is a confidential and free counseling service for employees that can be reached at 517-355-4506 or eap@msu.edu.
General information about MSU Student Health Services can be found by calling 517-884-6526. An on-call nurse can be reached at 517-353-9165.
Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton, Ingham Counties also offers 24/7 crisis support. Walk-in services are available at 812 E. Jolly Road in Lansing. Call 517-346-8460 to learn more.
A Community Mental Health team trained in critical incident stress management meets with individuals and groups at the East Lansing Public Library, the MSU College of Education and other campus locations.
To access Community Mental Health counseling services or mental health services, contact the Community Mental Health Access Center at 517-346-8318.
Detroit Free Press reporters Dave Boucher and David Jesse contributed. Contact Mark Johnson at majohnson2@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ByMarkJohnson.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU police missed shooter by 1 minute at student Union
