Superintendent: 2 victims went to high schools in same district

Two of the Michigan State University victims went to high school in the same district, Jon Dean, superintendent of Grosse Pointe Public Schools, said at a press conference Tuesday.

Arielle Anderson and Brian Fraser graduated in 2021 from Grosse Pointe high schools, according to Dean. Anderson attended Grosse Pointe North and Fraser attended Grosse Pointe South.

Both schools are offering mental health opportunities for all students, teachers and staff, according to Dean.

Grosse Pointe is in Wayne County, about eight miles from Detroit.

Arielle Anderson, a junior, is the third victim of the shooting at Michigan State University, according to a statement from the university’s police department.

Anderson is from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, the statement said.

The other two victims were identified earlier as a sophomore, Brian Fraser, also from Grosse Pointe, and a junior, Alexandria Verner, from Clawson, Michigan.

The five other victims of the shooting remain in the hospital in critical condition, the statement said.

A day after a mass shooting on the campus of Michigan State University, authorities are investigating the motive for the rampage that left three students dead and five others wounded Monday night.

The gunman, who according to police had no known ties to the campus in East Lansing, Michigan, died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

If you’re just now catching up, here’s what you should know:

The victims: Brian Fraser and Arielle Anderson, both from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and Alexandria Verner, from Clawson, Michigan, died in the mass shooting Monday night, according to an MSU police news release. Verner was remembered by Clawson Public Schools Superintendent Billy Shellenbarger for her kindness, positivity and for being “everything you’d want your daughter or friend to be.”

MSU response: The first report of shots fired came at 8:18 p.m. ET from Berkey Hall, an academic building on the northern end of campus. Officers responded to the building within minutes and found several shooting victims, including two who died, according to MSU Interim Deputy Police Chief Chris Rozman. Immediately after that, another shooting was reported at the nearby student union building, he said. That’s where the third slain victim was found. As news of the mass shooting spread, anxiety permeated the campus as the gunman remained at large. A shelter-in-place order went into effect, MSU’s interim president Teresa Woodruff said.

Harrowing scene: The deadly rampage forced students to jump out of windows and run for their lives. Graham Diedrich, a graduate student at Michigan State University, recalled being in the library and using furniture with other students to barricade themselves in a room during the rampage. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said her children, who are MSU students, are “shaken up” after the shooting.

The gunman: Authorities are still trying to figure out what prompted Anthony Dwayne McRae, 43, to conduct the shooting rampage. According to a source familiar with the investigation, McRae had a two-page note in his backpack that referenced other shootings. His father, Michael McRae told CNN his son became bitter, isolated and “evil angry” after his mother died from a stroke two years ago. The gunman’s sister told CNN her brother was socially isolated. McRae also has a criminal history with weapons, and police say he “had a history of mental health issues.”

Aalayah Eastmond, a survivor of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, said she is feeling angry and frustrated at the news of another mass shooting, this time at Michigan State University on Monday.

The shooting in Parkland happened five years ago on Tuesday. Now Eastmond is trying to help students cope with the latest tragedy. She said she is confused about why America is “still dealing with this issue of gun violence.”

Her advice to those at Michigan State is to lean on a support system.

Eastmond is the co-founder of Brady Campaign’s Team ENOUGH Program and she is currently traveling with the Never Again Tour, which marks the anniversary of the Parkland shooting with other survivors and victims’ families.

“If anything students are even more at risk for the issue of gun violence,” Eastmond said, “We see legislators focus on things that are not as important when the leading cause of death in this country for young people is gun violence.”

Alexandria Verner, one of three students killed in Monday night’s shootings at Michigan State University, is being remembered for her kindness, positivity and for being “everything you’d want your daughter or friend to be.”

Clawson Public Schools Superintendent Billy Shellenbarger said “her kindness was on display every single second you were around her.” Shellenbarger is friends with the Verner family and has known Alexandria, or Alex, as he called her since she was in kindergarten.

He said he’s talked to her family Tuesday and “they’re being about as strong as a human being can be in the face of this tragedy.”

Shellenbarger was the principal at Clawson High School in Clawson, Michigan, while Verner was a student there. She graduated in 2020. 

Shellenbarger said Verner was a fantastic three-sport athlete in volleyball, basketball and softball, was an excellent student and was active in many leadership groups at the school.

He sent a letter to families on Tuesday informing the community of her death and offering resources for students. Shellenbarger said Verner touched a lot of people in Clawson, Michigan, which he described as a small community.

“So to lose her on this planet, let alone our small community. It’s tough. And it’s going to take a while to recover, but to have known her for the duration of time that we all have, once again, is a gift to all of us, for sure,” he said.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday marked five years since the deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, by announcing $231 million in Justice Department funding to “reduce gun violence and save lives.”

The announcement also comes a day after a gunman killed three Michigan State University students.

The funds will “create and implement crisis intervention projects like ‘red flag’ programs, mental health and substance use treatment courts, and veterans’ treatment courts,” Biden noted in a statement.

Earlier Tuesday, Biden and first lady Jill Biden released a statement in support of the community and victims of the Michigan State mass shooting.

“Jill and I are praying for the three students killed and the five students fighting for their lives after last night’s shooting at Michigan State University. Our hearts are with these young victims and their families, the broader East Lansing and Lansing communities, and all Americans across the country grieving as the result of gun violence,” according to the statement.

CNN’s Nikki Carvajal contributed reporting to this post.

The Michigan State University shooter Anthony Dwayne McRae had a two-page note in his backpack referencing other shootings, according to a source familiar with the investigation. 

In the note, McRae said he was going to “finish off Lansing,” the source said. 

He made references to past active shooter situations, including the King Soopers supermarket shooting in Colorado, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

McRae also talked about schools in New Jersey, which is where he grew up, and claimed that there were “20 of him” who will carry these shootings out.

CNN reported earlier today that a police department in New Jersey said in a news release that the shooter possibly had plans to target two New Jersey Schools.

When asked about the note earlier, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel declined to comment, saying she “I can’t speak to that yet.”

President Joe Biden said in a statement Tuesday he and the first lady are praying for the victims of Monday night’s mass shooting at Michigan State University

Biden said he spoke with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last night “and directed the deployment of all necessary federal law enforcement to support local and state response efforts.”

“I assured her that we would continue to provide the resources and support needed in the weeks ahead,” the statement said.  

Biden also acknowledged the fifth anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which was less than 24 hours after the Michigan shooting. The president wrote that the timing “should cause every American to exclaim ‘enough’ and demand that Congress take action.” 

Later on Tuesday, Biden said, “our hearts are with the students and families of Michigan State University.” 

It is a family’s worst nightmare that’s happening far too often in this country, far too often. While we gather more information, there is one thing we know to be true. We have to do something to stop gun violence from ripping apart our communities,” Biden said while speaking at the National Association of Counties conference in Washington, DC.

The Michigan State University Department of Police and Public Safety identified two of the students killed Monday night in a mass shooting as Brian Fraser and Alexandria Verner.

Fraser was a sophomore and Verner was a junior.    

Police are not releasing the name of the third slain student out of respect for the “family’s wishes,” according to a release from police.

Five students remain hospitalized in critical condition, according to the release. 

“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,” it added.