EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) 鈥� A gunman opened fire Monday night at Michigan State University, killing three people and wounding five more, before fatally shooting himself miles away after an hours-long manhunt that forced frightened students to hide in the dark.
Police announced the man's death early Tuesday, four hours after shootings broke out at Berkey Hall, an academic building, and later nearby at the MSU Union, a popular hub to eat or study.
鈥淭his truly has been a nightmare we鈥檙e living tonight,鈥� said Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of the campus police department.
Hundreds of officers had scoured the East Lansing campus, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, for the suspect, whom police described as a short Black man with red shoes, a jean jacket and a ball cap.
The 43-year-old man was confronted by police off campus before killing himself with a "self-inflicted gunshot wound," Rozman said.
His name was not immediately released, nor any details about the gun or what police found at the scene. Rozman said the man was not a student or employee and had no affiliation with Michigan State.
鈥淲e have no idea why he came to campus to do this tonight. That is part of our ongoing investigation,鈥� the deputy chief said.
The shooting at Michigan State is the latest in what has become a deadly new year in the U.S. Dozens of people have died in mass shootings so far in 2023, most notably in California where 11 people were killed as they at a dance hall popular with older Asian Americans.
In 2022, there were more than 600 mass shootings in the U.S. in which at least four people were killed or injured, according to the
鈥淭his is a uniquely American problem," Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lamented.
Rozman said two people were killed at Berkey and another was killed at the MSU Union, while five people were in critical condition at Sparrow Hospital.
By 10:15 p.m., police said Berkey, as well as nearby residence halls, were secured.
Ted Zimbo said he was walking to his residence hall when he encountered a woman with a 鈥渢on of blood on her.鈥�
鈥淪he told me, 鈥楽omeone came in our classroom and started shooting,鈥欌�� Zimbo told The Associated Press. 鈥淗er hands were completely covered in blood. It was on her pants and her shoes. She said, 鈥業t鈥檚 my friend鈥檚 blood.鈥欌��
Zimbo said the woman left to find a friend鈥檚 car while he returned to his SUV in a parking deck and threw a blanket over himself to hide for three hours.
Ryan Kunkel, 22, was attending a class in the Engineering Building when he became aware of the shooting from a university email. Kunkel and about 13 other students turned off the lights and acted like there 鈥渨as a shooter right outside the door,鈥� he said.
鈥淣othing came out of anyone鈥檚 mouth鈥� for over four hours, he said.
鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 ready to accept that this is really going on next door, like right next to me. It鈥檚 on my campus,鈥� Kunkel said. 鈥淭his is supposed to be a place where I鈥檓 coming, learning and bettering myself. And instead, students are getting hurt.鈥�
Before the gunman was found dead, WDIV-TV meteorologist Kim Adams, whose daughter attends Michigan State, told viewers that students were worn down by the hourslong saga.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e been hiding, all the lights off in a dark room,鈥� Adams said.
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 鈥渏ust in case.鈥� Sirens were constant, and a helicopter hovered overhead.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all very frightening,鈥� Kelley said. 鈥淎nd then I have all these people texting me wondering if I鈥檓 OK, which is overwhelming.鈥�
Michigan State has about 50,000 students, including 19,000 who live on campus. All classes, sports and other activities were canceled for 48 hours.
Interim university President Teresa Woodruff said it would be a time 鈥渢o think and grieve and come together.鈥�
鈥淭his Spartan community 鈥� this family 鈥� will come back together,鈥� Woodruff said.
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Kusmer reported from Indianapolis. AP reporters Ed White and Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this story.
Joey Cappelletti And Ken Kusmer, The Associated Press
