3 killed in shooting at Michigan State University; The gunman is dead

A gunman killed three people and wounded five others at Michigan State University Monday night, police said.

For hours, students and others sheltered at the East Lansing campus, which has 50,000 students.

“It’s truly been a nightmare that we’re living through tonight,” said Michigan State University Police Interim Deputy Chief Chris Roseman.

In addition to the three deaths, five people were taken to EW Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, where they were listed in critical condition, Roseman said.

Roseman said the suspected gunman, a 43-year-old man with no ties to the university, was found dead of a gunshot wound after a standoff with law enforcement officers in the adjacent city of Lansing.

A motive is unknown.

“We don’t know why he came to campus tonight,” Roseman said.

The identities of the suspects and the victims have not been released. Police said they are determining whether the victims are students or otherwise associated with MSU.

At 8:18 a.m. the first reports of gunfire were reported in Berkey Hall, prompting an emergency alert for students and faculty.

Shortly after police responded to that academic building, they were called to the MSU Union, where another shooting was reported.

Of the three victims on campus, two were found in Berkey Hall and one in the Union, Roseman said.

As officials searched the campus for the shooter, they asked staff and the community to stay away to allow the hundreds of law enforcement officers who flooded the campus to work.

Students on campus reported on social media that they were hiding or barricaded as officers were out.

The three freshmen were in the dining hall when a relative called one of them to say there was a gunman, the women said. NBC affiliate WILX of Lansing.

They were told to be quiet but eventually closed the door, they said. Finally, a large group left in a hurry.

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Three students were seen hugging and emotional outside. “Everybody was shouting everybody’s name. It was really loud, really busy,” one of them told the station.

Bernice Rijera, whose daughter attends Michigan State University, drove from Grand Rapids, about 60 miles away, when she heard about the shooting.

“I was in a panic. I was driving 100 miles an hour here,” Ridgera told WILX. “I just want to take my baby home. That’s it, I just want my baby home.”

Late Monday, MSU canceled all campus activities, including athletics and classes, for two days. Students and staff have been urged to stay away from campus on Tuesday.

“Tonight, our Spartan hearts are heavy,” said University Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff said early Tuesday morning.

He said resources will be available for students and faculty after the unimaginable violence on campus.

FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; And Michigan State Police said they are sending personnel to MSU to assist campus investigators.

The gunshots affected those on campus who were not close to the shooting.

Drew Russ, an 18-year-old freshman from Los Angeles, was watching “Star Wars” with friends in his dorm when a flood of text messages arrived.

She and everyone on her floor in the dorm, which is about a mile from Berkey Hall, told MSNBC Monday night.

“I couldn’t believe this was happening on my college campus,” Russ said.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said the state had been devastated by the violence.

“MSU’s campus is a special place for many, and it is now the site of another senseless act of gun violence,” he said in a statement Tuesday. And tell them you love them.

“It doesn’t have to be this way. It’s a uniquely American problem. Many of us scan the room to leave when we enter. We plan who the last text or call will go to. We shouldn’t, we can’t, accept living this way. ,” he said.

This article was originally published NBCNews.com