Michigan State Students Paint Over Pro-Gun Message Post-Campus Tragedy
“Come here girl, let’s cover this shit up.”
Michigan State shooter brings manhunt to an end with self-inflicted gunshot to the head
The gunman who killed three students and injured several others at Michigan State University in Lansing was declared dead early Tuesday morning, bringing an end to nearly four hours of terror.
WJBK reported that the 43-year-old black suspect, who has been identified as Anthony McRae, shot himself in the head as police closed in on him near Lake Lansing and Larch roads after an hours-long manhunt. The gunman reportedly had no affiliation with the school.
MSU Police and Public Safety announced just after midnight that there was no longer a threat to campus and that the shelter-in-place had been lifted. However, all campus activities have been canceled for two days, including athletics and all campus-related activities.
MSU Police advised students not to come to campus on Feb. 14.
What are the details?
MSU Police indicated that shots were fired after 8 p.m. near Berkey Hall on the East Lansing campus. The shooter was described as a short black male wearing a mask, red shoes, a jean jacket, and a baseball cap.
None— MSU Police and Public Safety (@MSU Police and Public Safety) 1676338812
After the initial shooting, the gunman reportedly opened fire at the MSU Union, where students often gather to eat or study.
MSU Police confirmed there were three fatalities. Two victims were killed at Berkey Hall and a third in the MSU Union. In a Tuesday press conference, officials revealed all three were students.
Five additional victims were transported to E.W. Sparrow Hospital with "life-threatening" injuries.
Dominik Molotky told ABC's "Good Morning America" that he was learning about Cuban history when gunshots rang out outside the classroom.
"I was ducking and covering, and the same with the rest of the students. He let off four more rounds and when it went silent for about 30 seconds to a minute, two of my classmates started breaking open a window, and that took about 30 seconds to happen. There was glass everywhere," said Molotky.
Gabe Treutle, also an MSU student, told CNN that he had learned there was an active shooter situation while taking a chemistry quiz on campus.
"I turned on the police radar in our area. About ten minutes after I did that, we got a report that the shooter migrated over to [an area] about a block away from where I'm standing. That really scared us," said Treutle.
"We got the door barricaded. We were peering through the windows trying to make sure that he wasn't going to come over toward us," said Treutle.
"And then five minutes after that, they evacuated the entire building."
\u201c#BREAKING MSU Active Shooting:\n- At least 1 dead, multiple injured, after shooting at Michigan State University campus in East Lansing\n- Shooter is wearing a mask and is at large\n- Multiple shooting scenes on campus\n- FBI and ATF responding\u201d— Fast News Network (@Fast News Network) 1676343944
Another student, Connor Anderson, indicated to CNN that police escorted those who had barricaded themselves inside to safety.
"Oh, it was complete chaos. I mean, we all had to go down in one stairwell. People were getting trampled and everything. So, we all had to go at one exit. It took a while," said Anderson.
MSU Police advised students to "run, hide, fight," reported the New York Post.
“Run means evacuate away from danger if you can do so safely, Hide means to secure-in-place, and Fight means protect yourself if no other option,” the message said.
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office noted that "significant equipment" including armored vehicles, drones, and canine units were dispatched in response to the MSU shooting, along with SWAT officers and mobile command vehicles, reported NBC News.
When law enforcement closed in on the suspect with the help of a public tip nearly four hours after the initial shooting, the gunman committed suicide.
"This truly has been a nightmare we’re living tonight," said Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of the campus police department.
"We have no idea why he came to campus to do this tonight. That is part of our ongoing investigation," said Rozman.
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College football player dies suddenly just before his 19th birthday
Mississippi State University football player Samuel Westmoreland died at the age of just 18, mere days before he would have turned 19 on Friday, according to the Mississippi State Athletics website. He played as an offensive lineman on the school's team
The cause of his death is currently unclear.
Capt. Brett Watson with the Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Office informed the Clarion Ledger that authorities responded to a call on Wednesday. The young man was found dead outside of Blackjack Missionary Baptist Church. Foul play is not suspected as a factor.
"The university is working cooperatively with the Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Office, the Oktibbeha County Coroner's Office, the MSU Division of Student Affairs, and the MSU Athletics Department to determine the facts of this incident and will have no further comment until that assessment is completed," the post on the Mississippi State Athletics website noted.
\u201cMississippi State University was deeply saddened to learn of the death this morning of freshman student-athlete Samuel Westmoreland, 19, of Tupelo, Mississippi.\n\nhttps://t.co/cb6YD62bG2\u201d— Mississippi State Football (@Mississippi State Football) 1666208593
"The Mississippi State Athletics Family is heartbroken by the sudden death of Sam Westmoreland," MSU head football coach Mike Leach said in a statement. "Sam was a beloved son, brother and teammate, and a tremendous young man with a limitless future. He will always be remembered and deeply missed by everyone who knew and loved him. The entire MSU Family mourns as our thoughts and prayers go out to the Westmoreland family. Our highest priority is the support of the Westmoreland family and our student-athletes during this troubling time."
"One of the most profound lessons I've learned while leading this great university is that the tragic loss of one of our students diminishes all of our students—and all of us at Mississippi State feel the impact of Sam Westmoreland's death," MSU President Mark E. Keenum said, according to the school. "My prayers are with Sam's family and friends, with his MSU teammates and coaches, and with the Tupelo community during this most difficult time."
MSU Football Player Passed Away www.youtube.com
Michigan State University allows nearly 15,000 basketball fans at sold-out games but shuts down in-person learning in January
Michigan State University won't allow for in-person learning until the final day of January, but at the same time had no problem opening up the school's arena for nearly 15,000 screaming fans to attend every Spartans' home basketball game this month.
On Dec. 31, Michigan State University president Samuel L. Stanley Jr. announced in a letter that the school's spring 2022 semester would commence on Jan. 10 virtually and continue to be remote-learning until Jan. 31.
Stanley notes that Michigan suffered a spike of COVID-19 cases in December – which at the time was an all-time high of more than 11,000 cases.
"Given this intense surge in cases, we now feel the best decision for our campus is to start classes primarily remotely on Jan. 10 and for at least the first three weeks of the semester," writes Stanley – who uses the preferred pronouns of "he" and "him" in the letter.
Stanley admits, "I realize that students prefer to be in person, and so do I. But it is important that we do so in a safe manner."
"Starting the semester remotely and de-densifying campus in the coming weeks can be a solution to slowing the spread of the virus," the letter to MSU students reads. "During the first three weeks, my leadership team and I will be reviewing case numbers and other COVID-19 trends regularly to determine what additional protective measures will be enacted."
Michigan State University will be remote learning for nearly all of January requires all faculty, staff, and students to wear face coverings indoors. The university also mandates that all faculty, staff, and students be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, as well as "receive their booster if and when they are eligible."
While in-state students are paying tuition of more than $25,000 and out-of-state students are doling out more than $51,000, they won't receive in-person learning until Jan. 31. Meanwhile, Michigan State's basketball arena has been running at 100% capacity for all home games this month.
"Attendance at all of Michigan State University's home basketball games in the month of January at the Breslin Center was at 100% capacity with 14,797 fans in attendance," Fox News reports.
The Spartans' men's basketball team will play four home games at the Breslin Center this month.
Michigan State University requires attendees of indoor sporting events on campus to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a negative COVID-19 test, plus has instituted a mask mandate.
The sold-out stadium has been full of basketball fans despite record numbers of COVID-19 cases in Michigan.
Since Jan. 1, there have been more than 13,000 COVID-19 cases each day. Michigan hit a pandemic high of 23,460 COVID-19 cases on Jan. 6 and Jan. 7, according to Worldometer.
"The fact that students can fill the (Breslin Center) packed shoulder to shoulder for hours before the game, for the entirety of the game and be together for, you know, probably three hours at night with no social distancing, not even including all the outsiders being brought in to campus for the game, it's wildly hypocritical" MSU student Blake Maday told Fox News.
Dan Olsen – the deputy spokesperson for Michigan State University – issued a statement to Fox News regarding the situation.
"Athletics events are optional events that students or the pubic [sic] can attend, unlike classes which are required for our students to progress toward their degree and graduate," Olsen said. "Our decision to start the first three weeks remotely was difficult and was influenced by two key factors. One factor was the uncertainty at the time of Omicron and having some time to understand it and its impact better."
"The other factor was recognizing we would have a significant increase in cases that would result in hundreds of students and employees needing to be out of the classroom quarantining or isolating, we wanted to ensure consistency in the first weeks of our spring semester so everyone had an equal opportunity to learn with as less of a disruption to their education as possible," Olsen stated.
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