Michigan State shooting – updates: Murdered victims named as chilling details around Anthony McRae revealed
Police say suspect was in contact with law enforcement before dying by suicide as victims Brian Fraser and Alexandria Verner are named
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The 43-year-old man accused of killing three and wounding five in a shooting at Michigan State University before turning the gun on himself was found with a note detailing threats to two other schools, authorities say.
Police identified the gunman in Monday’s shooting as Anthony McRae. He is not believed to have any connection to MSU.
On Tuesday morning, reports claimed that a note was found with McRae’s body after he killed himself. The note allegedly indicated threats to two New Jersey schools.
Meanwhile, it emerged that McRae had been living with his father, had firearms convictions and was known for firing weapons on the property, according to neighbours.
The names of two of the three students who were killed have been released.
Brian Fraser was a sophomore at the school from Grosse Pointe, east of Detroit, and Alexandra Verner was a junior from Clawson, north of the city.
The name of the third victim will not be shared at the request of the family.
‘We must do more’: Biden issues statement following MSU shooting
Jill and I are praying for the three students killed and the five students fighting for their lives after last night’s shooting at Michigan State University.
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.
Last night, I spoke to Governor Whitmer and directed the deployment of all necessary federal law enforcement to support local and state response efforts.
I assured her that we would continue to provide the resources and support needed in the weeks ahead.
Too many American communities have been devastated by gun violence.
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.
The fact that this shooting took place the night before this country marks five years since the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, should cause every American to exclaim “enough” and demand that Congress take action.
As I said in my State of the Union address last week, 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.
Sister speaks out: ‘I’m just so sorry’
The sister of the 43-year-old suspect Anthony McRae has spoken out following the shooting, telling CNN that she’s “shocked” by what happened and that she has “no idea” about what a possible motive could have been.
Melinda McRae said she grew up in a loving home alongside her brother. But, like her father, she told the network that he had been isolated as he stayed in a room in his father’s home.
Ms McRae said he often fought with his parents, and often grew irate at their mother.
When she died in 2020 after a stroke, he was badly affected by the passing, sharing deep sorrow.
She told CNN that the last time she saw him was at their mother’s funeral. She added that he would sometimes leave town and be unable to keep a job. The suspect’s father expressed similar issues to the outlet.
She said he would go to various “cities and just [live] in a shelter”.
“I’m just so sorry about the innocent people that got killed,” she told the network.
‘He looked like a wolf man’: Father of suspect says son became ‘evil angry’ after death of mother
The Michigan State gunman, identified by police as Anthony McRae, grew angry and bitter following the 2020 death of his mother from a stroke, his father told CNN.
Michael McRae said his son became isolated after his mother’s passing.
“Ever since my wife died, my son began to change,” Mr McRae told CNN on Tuesday. “He was getting more and more bitter. Angry and bitter. So angry. Evil angry … He began to really let himself go. His teeth were falling out. He stopped cutting his hair. He looked like a wolf man.”
The suspect, 43, lived with his father in a small house in the Michigan state capital of Lansing. Mr McRae said his son had been struggling to keep a job and was unemployed, but added that he had been working at a warehouse for seven years putting refrigerators into trucks.
‘He didn’t care about anything no more’: Father says suspect was ‘totally lost’ after mother’s death
The father of the suspected gunman told CNN on Tuesday that about 30 officers arrived at his residence and searched his son’s bedroom after the shooting on Monday night.
Michael McRae is the father of the 43-year-old suspect Anthony McRae.
He told CNN that his son become reclusive when his mother Linda died in 2020 after a stroke.
Mr McRae said his son “was lost, totally lost,” after the passing.
“He didn’t care about anything no more. And he wouldn’t talk to me or anyone,” he added. He said his son would remain in his room for long stretches of time playing video games.
“He only came out to go to the kitchen or go to the bathroom, then he’d go right back in,” the father told CNN.
He said his son refused when he suggested the suspect go to a doctor.
“He got mad if I tried to get him help,” the father told the network. “I was trying to help him. He’d close the door. He stayed in his room a lot.”
“I didn’t want to start trouble, he’d get mad at me,” he said.
'F*** your thoughts and prayers'
A Michigan state representative has issued a searing open letter to opponents of gun control, declaring: "F*** your thoughts and prayers."
Ranjeev Puri, a Democrat representing the city of Canton in the suburbs of Detroit, blamed legislators' "years of inaction" for allowing the shooting to happen."
"What happened in East Lansing is unfortunately far too common," he wrote. "Going to school in America, whether it's prey-school or college, means risking your life every day to the threat of a mass shooting.
"Yet all we have offered up are empty solutions – traumatising active shooter drills and bulletproof backpacks. We do not need to live like this.
"The United States is the only country where this happens. Where mass shootings have left us desensitised, waking up each day to a seemingly never-ending horrific cycle of gun violence...
"Thoughts and prayers without action and change are meaningless. Our office will continue to work tirelessly to pass common sense gun reform immediately.
"We will not stop until our students can attend school without fear, our communities can attend places of worship in peace, and our society is safe from senseless gun violence."
Video: MSU survivor was also at 2012 Sandy Hook massacre
Here’s our video on the MSU shooting survivor who also lived through the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre.
Take care of each other
That’s it for our live blog today, at least for the time being. We’ll continue to report on the MSU shooting and its aftershocks, and go live again if the situation warrants it.
Thanks for reading, and take care of each other out there.
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