The latest on the deadly Michigan State University shooting

One of the injured students from the Michigan State University shooting has been moved to stable condition, the university said Thursday. Four remain in critical condition. 

At the end of a news conference, MSU Board of Trustees chair Dr. Rema Vassar said Sparrow Hospital had called and “let us know that one of our students has moved from critical to stable condition.” 

“I just want you to continue to pray for those families. Pray for the families who will be having services over the next couple of days for their students who have not made it. They sent their students to Michigan State for a quality world-class education, and now they're holding services for them,” she said.  

 

Michigan State Police said the Michigan State University gunman “had contact with some of those places” listed in the note found on him. 

Lt. Rene Gonzalez said the note had a listing of businesses on it.

“Through our investigation, we found that he had had contact with some of those places,” Gonzalez said. “He was an employee of the Meijer warehouse at one time.”

“In a couple of other businesses, it appears that he'd had some issues with the employees there, where he was asked to leave. So, it looks like he possibly [had] a motive for that ... he just felt slighted and that's kind of what the note indicated,” he said.

Lansing Police Chief Ellery Sosebee outlined previous law enforcement encounters with the Michigan State University shooter, including a previously reported firearm charge from 2019.

Sosebee said, contrary to "a few topics of misinformation," his department had not responded to any welfare checks related to the gunman, Anthony Dwayne McRae, prior to the shooting. The chief said there was one welfare check on record at a Lansing address linked to the gunman, but it "was not related to the accused."

Sosebee added that his department had never responded to reports of gunfire at that address.

The chief said his department's call history related to McRae dates back to 2005, when he was "contacted for a larceny complaint," though Sosebee shared no further details. The list also included three traffic violations from 2006 and 2007.

The next encounter the chief had on record was from 2019, when CNN has previously reported that McRae was arrested and charged for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, a felony. He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for possession of a loaded firearm and spent a year and a half on probation.

A police officer approached McRae as he sat on the back steps of an abandoned building smoking a cigarette, according to police. The officer, who was patrolling the area after burglaries in the area, asked McRae if he had any weapons, and McRae said that he did.

The officer patted McRae down and confirmed that he had a loaded semi-automatic pistol in his pants pocket, as well as another magazine for the gun in his breast pocket.

McRae admitted that he did not have a concealed pistol license, and the officer arrested him. McRae told the officer he carried the gun for his safety and was trying to obtain a permit, according to police.

CNN's Casey Tolan, Curt Devine and Scott Bronstein contributed to this report.

The Michigan State University gunman had two pages of notes in his wallet when he was found, according to Michigan State Police Lt. Rene Gonzalez.

"Found on [Anthony] McRae were two handguns — the one he shot himself with and another in his backpack that he was carrying. He also had a loaded magazine that was full to capacity in his left breast pocket," Gonzalez said during a news briefing Thursday.

He had eight loaded magazines and a pouch containing 50 rounds of loose ammunition as well, Gonzalez said.

Two pages of notes "indicated where he was going to visit and also kind of gave the indication of why he, maybe a motive, but nothing that we can actually confirm just yet," Gonzalez said.

McRae also had bus tickets on him when he was found, Gonzalez said.

The investigation is ongoing, but officials believe McRae acted alone, he added.

Police and the shooter had contact at Lake Lansing and Larch Road in the city of Lansing, Michigan, after officers received a call that a subject matching the description was walking down the street, according to Lt. Rene Gonzalez of the Michigan State police.

The officers stood about 20 feet from gunman Anthony Dwayne McRae, he added.

As they exited the vehicle and ordered McRae to show his hands, he produced a weapon and killed himself, Gonzalez said Thursday.

"It does appear that from the body-worn camera, that McRae did not verbalize anything to the officers prior to him shooting himself," he said. "Once they had waited for two additional state security officers to arrive on scene, they walked up to the shooter who was laying on the ground, cleared the scene for their safety and then started life saving efforts on him."

McRae was, however, declared deceased on the scene, Gonzalez said.

The Michigan State University gunman had two 9-millimeter handguns and additional magazines and ammunition on him, according to MSU Police and Public Safety Interim Deputy Chief Chris Rozman.

The guns were purchased legally but not registered, he said.

“Our investigative team did work with our federal [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] partners to trace those weapons and we have learned that they were purchased legally by the shooter, but they were not registered,” Rozman said.  

A note was also found on the gunman who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Rozman said. The gunman was found about 3.8 miles from campus.

Michigan State University interim President Teresa Woodruff said MSU is resuming standard operations today, but classes remain suspended through Sunday.

Berkey Hall, one of the locations where students died during shooting, will remain closed for the rest of the semester, she added.

"Standard operations means that the university offices are open, but in this case with wide latitude provided to supervisors across our university network. The two buildings [affected in the shooting], Berkey, remains closed for the semester; the second building, the union, is still being evaluated for decisions to be reported later," she said.

Woodruff added that staff across the campus are meeting with impacted students, families and the remaining injured students who are hospitalized.

"We are listening and we are supporting at all levels," she said.

Five Michigan State University students who were injured during the mass shooting that killed three on Monday are still in critical condition but some of them are showing signs of improvement, the university's interim President Teresa Woodruff said in a briefing Thursday.

They are being treated at the E.W. Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.

Michigan State University Police and Public Safety department has made the decision to not release the names of the injured victims in the hospital "out of respect for the families," said Interim Deputy Chief Chris Rozman.

Officials are now giving an update on the investigation into a deadly shooting at Michigan State University. Three students were killed and five others were injured when a gunman opened fire Monday.

The Michigan State University Department of Police and Public Safety is expected to be at the briefing.

Investigators are still looking for a motive. The gunman has been identified as a 43-year-old man who was not affiliated with the university. He was later found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Since then, a search warrant was executed at a home connected with the suspect, according to police. Officials also said they have recovered a weapon but have not determined whether it was the one used in the mass shooting, according to MSU Interim Deputy Police Chief Chris Rozman.