On the evening of February 13, 2023, Michigan State University’s normally calm campus was shattered by gunfire. At around 8:18 p.m. EST, an alert was issued for an active shooter in Berkey Hall, where students were gathered in classrooms. The attacker, later identified as 43‑year‑old Anthony Dwayne McRae of Lansing, entered Room 114 and opened fire, striking multiple students. A courageous professor attempted to hold the door while students broke windows and fled to safety. First responders arrived within minutes; outside the building, those wounded by stray glass and debris added to the chaos.
McRae then left Berkey Hall, continued firing near the Human Ecology Building, and moved on to the MSU Union, where he killed Brian Fraser, a sophomore, before local and campus police converged. Despite shelter-in-place orders and coordinated response, McRae disappeared into the night. Nearly three hours later, after his image had been released across MSU channels, he was spotted in Lansing. As police approached, he shot himself and died by suicide.
The attack claimed the lives of three students—all from suburban Detroit—and critically injured five others, all Michigan State students. Four of the wounded required surgery; one is believed to have been paralyzed.
McRae had no connection to MSU. He purchased two handguns legally in 2021 and carried both at the time of the attack—only one was fired, discharging 18 rounds across three locations. In 2019, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor weapons charge and served probation, which expired in 2021, restoring his legal right to own firearms. Investigators found a note in his possession expressing deep grievances, feelings of isolation, and vague threats against other institutions, but offered no clear motive or explanation for choosing MSU. Authorities found no evidence he belonged to any larger conspiracy or group.
In the aftermath, MSU canceled classes and events for two days, relocated spring semester courses in the affected buildings, and expanded counseling and mental health support services across campus. The university later settled lawsuits with the families of the deceased students. Memorials and protests followed, and legal and political discussions intensified around firearms policy, probation pleas, and campus security reforms.
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