The Michigan State University
Department of Police and Public Safety
confirmed that three individuals
were dead following the shooting at
Michigan State University Monday
night. At 8:31 p.m., MSU Police issued
a safety alert in response to reports of
gunshots heard at Berkey Residence
Hall, urging anyone on campus to
shelter-in-place or to “run, hide or
fight.” The shelter-in-place advisory
remained in effect until 12:30 a.m.
when MSU Police reported the suspect
was found dead and there was no threat
to campus.
MSU police released the names of
three victims Tuesday, all of whom
were students: MSU sophomore Brian
Fraser, MSU junior Alexandria Verner
and MSU junior Arielle Anderson. Five
additional victims were hospitalized
with life threatening injuries Monday
night and remain in critical condition
Tuesday, according to MSU police.
Following
the
attack,
MSU
announced
all
campus
activities
would be canceled through Thursday
and classes would be canceled until
Monday. MSU buildings remain open
for students who live on campus.
counseling services are also available
across campus. A vigil to honor the
victims will be held at 7 p.m Wednesday.
Statues and other community
gathering points on MSU’s campus
have been decorated with flowers
and signs mourning the victims and
encouraging the campus community to
remain “Spartan Strong,” according to
pictures from The State News, MSU’s
student-run newspaper. The State
News reported that several students
were leaving campus Tuesday to return
home for the rest of the week, telling
State News they didn’t feel safe on
campus.
In a joint letter to the MSU staff,
faculty and students, MSU Interim
President Teresa K. Woodruff and
Marlon C. Lynch, vice president
for public safety and chief of police,
thanked the first responders and MSU
community members for their support
throughout Monday night.
“The safety and security of our
campus community is our first priority,”
Woodruff and Lynch wrote.“We want
to thank all our campus residents for
taking this threat seriously, securing in
place and acting to protect themselves
and others. We also want to thank the
hundreds of people from MSU, local,
state and federal law enforcement
agencies and first responders who
worked in a coordinated effort to
respond to the shooting.”
In a news release Tuesday, MSU
Police expressed their support and
dedication to the campus community
during the ongoing investigation of the
shooting.
“We cannot begin to fathom the
immeasurable amount of pain that our
campus community is feeling,” the
release said. “We want to ensure our
community that our department as
well as our law enforcement partners
will conduct a comprehensive and
thorough investigation regarding this
tragic incident.”
The MSU Police commended the
campus community for reporting
updates on the shooting and looking
after their personal safety, citing a
caller’s tip that led the police to the
suspect at 11:35 p.m. The suspect was
found dead due to a self-inflicted
gunshot wound. In a tweet Tuesday
morning, MSU police reported that a
threatening note was found with the
suspect, leading several public school
districts in the East Lansing area to
close Tuesday. While the investigation
remains
ongoing,
MSU
Police
confirmed that the 46-year-old suspect
had no affiliation with MSU.
The MSU Board of Trustees released
a statement Tuesday afternoon, saying
they have been in communication
with the victims’ families and are
encouraging community members to
support each other.
“This morning, the Board talked
with families who lost their children
due
to
senseless
violence
our
community is suffering,” the statement
read. “We are devastated with them
and for them. Please hold space with
the entire Spartan community as we
navigate the weeks ahead. We will get
through this difficult time by healing
together.”
The
Associated
Students
of
Michigan State University, MSU’s
undergraduate student government,
also released a statement Tuesday
afternoon expressing the shared feeling
of grief and loss across the campus and
condemning gun violence.
“To all the victims and their
families, we are absolutely devastated,”
the statement read. “This is a loss felt
by all of Spartan Nation, and the pain
we feel is unbearable. It is one thing
to acknowledge the horrible reality
of gun violence in America, but it is
another to experience it firsthand.
This morning, we mourn not only the
lives of our peers and friends but also
the loss of the feeling of security and
safety on campus. To all students who
experienced this campus tragedy last
night, our hearts go out to you during
this unsettling time.”
University
president
Santa
Ono sent a statement to
U-M
community
members
Tuesday
morning, emphasizing
that
U-M
campus
administration
is
working closely with
MSU and encouraging
students,
staff
and
faculty to reach out to
one another.
“I know many in
our community are
reeling from this event
as you have friends or
family who belong to
the MSU community,”
Ono wrote. “I encourage us all to take
a moment to show our appreciation
and support for one another. Support
resources are available on campus for
students, faculty and staff.”
Ono also ordered all flags on the U-M
campus to be lowered to half mast until
further notice to honor the victims.
The University of Michigan will host a
candlelight vigil, organized by the U-M
Central Student Government, in honor
of the victims of the shooting at 7 p.m.
on the Diag Wednesday night.
The
University
of
Michigan
community said they are working to
ensure that all three of its campuses
remain safe. All campuses remained
open Tuesday with increased security
presence from the Division of Public
Safety and Security.
The U-M CSG also tweeted a
statement in support of the MSU
community.
“Central Student Government is
horrified at the events of an active
shooting last night at Michigan State,”
the statement read. “We stand with
our fellow students … as they mourn
this tragedy, and send our support to all
Spartans.”
CSG shared a list of resources
available to U-M students across
campus on social media accounts
Tuesday afternoon.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, an MSU
alum and a parent of two MSU
students, released a statement Monday
morning expressing her support for the
MSU community. Whitmer also
turned to social media to criticize
the lack of gun control in
Michigan and across the
United States.
“MSU’s
campus
is
a special place for so
many, and it is now the site of another
senseless act of gun violence,” Whitmer
wrote. “Parents across Michigan were
on pins and needles calling their kids
to check in on them and tell them
they love them. It doesn’t have to be
this way. Certain places are supposed
to be about community, learning, or
joy — elementary schools and college
campuses, movie theaters and dance
halls, grocery stores and workplaces.
They should not be the sites of
bloodshed. This is a uniquely American
problem. Too many of us scan rooms
for exits when we enter them. We plan
who that last text or call would go to.
We should not, we cannot, accept living
like this.”
Michigan
House
and
Senate
lawmakers canceled session Tuesday
in response to the shooting. At a
press conference, Whitmer called
on lawmakers to immediately draft
and send her proposals to enact
universal
background
checks
for
anyone purchasing weapons as well as
proposals that would tighten storage
requirements to keep guns away from
those deemed a danger to themselves
or others.
Some Democrat lawmakers in
the state expressed support for this
type of legislature to prevent future
gun
violence,
including
Senate
Majority
Leader
Winnie
Brinks,
D-Grand Rapids,
Sen.
Rosemary
Bayer,
D-Keego
Harbor, and
Rep. Joe Tate,
D-Detroit, an
MSU alum. In a statement issued on
Tuesday, Tate wrote that the shooting
should be a wake-up call for Michigan
lawmakers who have been hesitant to
enact gun reform policy.
“I graduated from Michigan State
University 20 years ago, and I am once
and forever a Spartan,” Tate wrote.
“The dread I felt last night as I heard
the news of a gunman on campus was
quickly replaced by anger … We have a
choice. We can continue to debate the
reasons for gun violence in America,
or we can act. We cannot continue to
do the same thing over and over again
and hope for a different outcome.
Multiple people were shot and killed
at Michigan State University. I have
no understanding left for those in
a position to effect change who are
unwilling to act.”
United States President Joe Biden
spoke with Whitmer Monday night
and deployed FBI officers to help
with the response, according to The
Detroit News. Biden expressed his
support for the families of the victims
of the shooting in a statement Tuesday
afternoon, mentioning the importance
of gun reform at a federal level as well.
“As I said in my State of the Union
address last week, Congress must do
something and enact common sense
gun law reforms,” Biden wrote. “Action
is what we owe to those grieving today
in Michigan and across America.”
The State News shared information
about the lives and legacies of the three
student victims Tuesday, all of whom
have had a positive impact on the
campus community.
Fraser was a business and economics
student from Grosse Pointe, Mich. He
was also the MSU Chapter President
of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, which
posted on Instagram about his legacy at
the fraternity.
“Brian was our leader, and we loved
him,” the post read. “He cared deeply
about his Phi Delt brothers, his family,
Michigan State University, and Phi
Delta Theta. We will greatly miss Brian
and mourn his death deeply as our
chapter supports each other during this
difficult time.”
In an interview with Bridge
Michigan, Fraser’s longtime friend
and fraternity brother Will White said
Fraser was the best friend he could
have asked for. The two graduated
from Grosse Pointe South High School
together in 2021 before attending
MSU and pledging the same
fraternity.
“(Fraser was) a gentleman,”
White said. “Cared about his
friends a lot. Like the best friend I
could ever ask for, honestly.”
Verner was an Integrated Biology
and
Anthropology
student
from
Clawson, MI. Those who knew Verner
knew her as a leader and athlete who
embodied kindness, according to a
Facebook post by Clawson Public
Schools. She was a basketball, volleyball
and all-state softball player all four
years of high school.
Billy Shellenbarger, Clawson Public
Schools superintendent and former
Clawson
High
School
principal,
released a statement to the district
Tuesday, describing Verner as a student
who was loved by everyone around.
“Alex was and is incredibly loved by
everyone,” Shellenbarger wrote. “She
was a tremendous student, athlete
and leader and exemplified kindness
every day of her life. … If you knew
her, you loved her and we will forever
remember the lasting impact she has
had on all of us.”
Verner’s
father,
Ted
Verner,
described her as a beautiful soul in an
interview with The Washington Post.
“It’s going to be my mission in life
to make sure that families don’t go
(through) what we went through,”
Verner said.
Anderson
was
an
aspiring
pediatrician from Harper Woods
who loved cooking, movie nights and
documenting pieces of her life on
Youtube. She was working towards
graduating from MSU a year early to
achieve her goal of becoming a surgeon.
Anderson’s
uncle
Tim
Davis
described her as an exemplary Spartan
in an interview with The Detroit News.
“She was just sweet and innocent,”
Tim Davis said. “In my opinion, she
was just perfect the way she conducted
herself. She had great manners and
was respectful. She was very smart, a
straight-A student. I’m pretty sure you
will hear that from everybody.”
Anderson’s mother Dawana Davis
issued a statement on behalf of the
entire family Tuesday evening.
“We lost our precious daughter,
granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin,
and friend, Arielle Anderson,” Dawana
Davis wrote. “She means the world to
us. As much as we loved her, she loved
us and others even more. She was
passionate about helping her friends
and family, assisting children and
serving people.”
As the story continues to develop,
we encourage readers to follow
The Michigan Daily’s coverage and
coverage by The State News.
Co-Editor in Chief Shannon Stocking
can be reached at sstockin@umich.edu.
Daily Staff Reporter Sneha Dhandapani
can be reached at sdhanda@umich.edu.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXXII, No. 104
©2023 The Michigan Daily
N E WS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
M I C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
S TAT E M E N T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
O P I N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
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michigandaily.com
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY TWO YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
3 students dead following shooting at
Michigan State University
SHANNON STOCKING, &
SNEHA DHANDAPANI
Co-Editor in Chief &
Daily News Editor
The Michigan Daily would like to express our deepest condolences to our peers at Michigan State University and our colleagues at The
State News. Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the victims, as well as the entire East Lansing community.
“Action is what we
owe to those grieving
today in Michigan and
across America.”
President Joe Biden
DESIGN BY ABBY SCHRECK