Michigan State University gunman Anthony McRae had two handguns and multiple loaded magazines when he was located by police dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Monday evening, Fox 2 Detroit reports.
McRae, 43, opened fire inside an academic hall on MSU’s campus around 8:18 p.m. then walked to the student union and fired more shots, leaving three undergraduates dead and five others wounded.
Police released surveillance images of McRae during the hours-long manhunt and a tip from the community led authorities to his location about four miles off-campus.
Anthony McRae was captured on surveillance video walking on an empty street roughly one hour after the shooting. (Fox 2 Detroit)
Officers spotted McRae and called out to him, at which point he shot and killed himself, Fox 2 Detroit reported on Wednesday, citing law enforcement sources. He was carrying one handgun, and had a second handgun and multiple loaded magazine in a backpack.
Surveillance video showed McRae walking on an empty street and in a back alley roughly one hour after the shooting.
A note that was found in his pocket indicated threats to two public schools in Ewing Township, New Jersey. Police said that McRae had “local ties to Ewing Township” and “had a history of mental health issues.”
Anthony McRae, 43, opened fire on Michigan State University’s campus on Monday evening. (Michigan Department of Corrections/AP)
Authorities have been tight-lipped publicly about the weapons used in the attack and how McRae obtained them.
He was previously charged with carrying a concealed weapon without a license in the summer of 2019, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison that would have prohibited him from owning a gun.
In October 2019, prosecutors dropped that felony count after he pleaded guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge of possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation, which ended in May 2021.
Police investigate the scene of a shooting at Berkey Hall on the campus of Michigan State University, late Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
A neighbor told Fox 2 Detroit that police were also previously called on McRae because he shot guns in the backyard of his house.
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His brother, Michael McRae, told Fox News Digital that Anthony’s life started to unravel after their mother died in September 2020.
“He lived a sheltered world,” Michael said, noting Anthony stopped taking care of himself and refused to look for work. “He started changing. He was getting more and more bitter and angry. I’m asking him, ‘What’s on your mind?’ But he wouldn’t talk to me.”
Michigan State University identified the three victims as Arielle Anderson, a sophomore from Grosse Pointe; Brian Fraser, a sophomore also from Grosse Point; and Alexandria Verner, a junior from Clawson. (Fox News)
McRae had no affiliation with the university and police are still searching for a motive in the shooting.
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The three students killed in the attack were identified on Tuesday as Alexandria Verner, a junior from Clawson; Arielle Anderson, a sophomore from Grosse Pointe; and Brian Fraser, a sophomore also from Grosse Point.
Five victims were critically wounded in the shooting and are being treated at Sparrow Hospital.
