2 of the 5 injured in Michigan State shooting are students from China, reports say

Two of the five people injured in the shooting at Michigan State University were students from China, according to news accounts attributed to the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago.

The reports show the tragedy reaches beyond state and national borders and raises new questions about how mass shootings are shaping how the United States is perceived by other countries.

The students were "unfortunately shot and injured," and were "in the hospital," an English translation of a China Central Television blog said the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago said. The China Daily, an English-language daily newspaper, and the Daily Beast, an American news website, published similar reports.

At a news briefing Thursday morning, MSU Chief of Police Marlon Lynch would not verify the reports, but did not knock them down either, saying "we do know we do have some international students but couldn't confirm at this time where their home country is."

Police and school officials have repeatedly declined to name the five victims, saying that all of them were badly injured. Four are in critical condition at Lansing's Sparrow Hospital — a Level I trauma center, the highest designation for trauma care — and one is now in stable condition.

The Chinese consulate warned Wednesday night that "a series of shooting incidents have occurred in many places in the United States, causing serious casualties, including Chinese citizens," including the MSU shooting, a Chinese TV report said.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., referred questions to the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago, which was not answering calls, and the U.S. State Department replied to a Free Press inquiry, saying "we would refer you to the local authorities."

The China Daily reported Thursday that the consulate general said "the students are out of danger following surgery at a hospital," and that "it has activated its emergency response mechanism." It added: The consulate "has contacted the family members of the two students in China and will offer assistance in their coming to the United States."

A spokesperson for the consulate said in a statement, "We sincerely hope that the injured students will recover soon," according to the Daily Beast report. The consulate, the report added, said the "hospital is further evaluating the next treatment plan."

In 2021, MSU enrolled 4,265 international students, more than half of whom were from China, according to the university's Office for International Students and Scholars. It is unclear what effect the shooting may have had on MSU's international recruitment efforts.

Thousands of MSU students, staff, administrators, alumni, faculty, and family members gathered around the Rock — a campus landmark — Wednesday night for a planned vigil as they put down flowers in memory of the three students killed.

The suspect is a 43-year-old who was not affiliated with the university and died as the result of a self-inflicted gunshot when confronted by police. Law enforcement said he had two 9mm handguns, and investigators believed he was working alone, although he was carrying a note that claimed otherwise.

Only one injured person so far has been identified by name. A GoFundMe campaign is seeking financial support for medical and other expenses for Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez, a junior from Florida who is from a family of migrant workers.

More:Sister of student wounded in Michigan State shooting starts GoFundMe for medical bills

More:Thousands fill heart of MSU's campus for solemn vigil marked by silence

Her sister, Selena Huapilla-Perez, did not estimate how much medical care would cost or detail Guadalupe's injuries, but she did say that she "is a long way from returning to us as she was" and "doctors tell us that even in improving conditions, the process for a full recovery will take months of care and subsequent rehabilitation."

A former Hartland Consolidated Schools graduate was also injured, the district's superintendent, Chuck Hughes said, according to the Livingston Daily. Hughes did not identify the 2020 graduate because, he said, he did "not have permission to share details at this time," but asked the public to keep the family in its "thoughts and prayers."

In addition, WLNS-TV reported that one of the people who was injured in the shooting was an Okemos High School graduate, according to high school Principal Daniel Kemsley. The high school, which just a few minutes away from the university, held a walkout protest Thursday to honor those killed and injured.

The CCTV blog, however, did not identify the students or detail the injuries and was mostly a warning.

It said: "The Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Chicago, reminds Chinese citizens in the consular district to pay close attention to the local security situation, improve security awareness, strengthen security precautions, and ensure their own safety."

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2 shot, injured at Michigan State are Chinese students, reports say