US gun violence: 3 killed, 5 wounded in Michigan State University shooting

EAST LANSING (Michigan, US), Feb 14. (NNN-AGENCIES) — Police confirmed that three were killed and five were wounded Monday night in a shooting at Michigan State University. 

Residents and students in East Lansing are urged to shelter in place. The shooter remains at large.

All campus activities are canceled for 48 hours – including athletics, classes and all campus-related activities. Spartans were expected to host Minnesota Wednesday, but that game has been canceled. Students and staff are urged to not go to campus Tuesday.

East Lansing Public Schools will be closed Tuesday due to its proximity to MSU campus.

According to MSU officials, shots were fired near Berkey Hall on East Lansing Campus just after 8:15 p.m. A second shooting was reported at IM East.

“Run, Hide, Fight. Run means evacuate away from danger if you can do so safely, hide means to secure-in-place, and fight means to protect yourself if no other option,” the school wrote in an alert.

Community members, both on and off campus, are advised to shelter in place immediately.

The East Lansing Police Department urged residents to “shelter in place immediately,” and that a shooter is at large.

MSU police said there is only one suspect, who is believed to be on foot and residents should continue to shelter in place. The suspect is described as a short Black man wearing red shoes, a jean jacket and a baseball cap that is navy blue with a light brim.

As of 10:10 p.m., school officials said Brody Hall, Snyder/Phillips Hall, Mason Hall, Abbot Hall, Landon Hall, Berkey Hall and the MSU Union have been cleared and secured.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was briefed on the shooting and said police were working to secure the area.

“Let’s wrap our arms around the Spartan community tonight,” she wrote on Twitter, referring to the university’s athletic logo.

School and university shootings are alarmingly common as part of a broader wave of gun violence in the United States, where the proliferation of firearms has soared in recent years. — NNN-AGENCIES