The suspected gunman accused of killing three and injuring five at Michigan State University (MSU) has been named as 43-year-old Anthony McRae.
The gunman opened fire on Monday night at a social science building and a student union facility, triggering panic and chaos as students evacuated the premises.
McRae was named as the shooter on Tuesday morning. He died from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound as police closed in on him.
Authorities previously said the suspect had no known affiliation with the university and the motive for the shooting was unclear.
The first shots were fired at Berkey Hall at 8.18pm on the campus’s north side, before further gunshots were heard at the Snyder-Phillips Hall, around 650m away.
At around 8.30pm, students received a text message alert telling them to shelter “in place immediately” and to “run, hide, fight” in that order.
Police and emergency vehicles quickly swarmed the area. MSU police said that, at 9.34pm, the IM East sports centre was being secured and at 10.10pm, Berkey Hall, the Snyder-Phillips Hall and other nearby areas had been secured.
MSU interim deputy police chief Chris Rozman told a news conference that, to his knowledge, the school had not received threats in the preceding days.
The suspect was alive and contacted by police before he shot himself, police said. The authorities are continuing to investigate different areas to find out more about the suspect.
Meanwhile, all five victims at admitted at Sparrow Hospital are in critical condition, said the MSU police in an update on Twitter.
Michigan’s recently re-elected governor Gretchen Whitmer said she had been briefed on the shooting and that the state police force would assist MSU.
She said gun violence was “a uniquely American problem” and said things “don’t have to be this way”.
“Certain places are supposed to be about community, learning, or joy — elementary schools and college campuses, movie theatres and dance halls, grocery stores and workplaces,” Ms Whitmer said in a statement.
“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.”
Law enforcement said during a press conference on Tuesday that a caller’s tip led police to the shooter. Police said they haven’t established a possible motive, saying that they don’t know why he carried out the shooting.
“We have absolutely no idea what the motive was at this point,” Chief Rozman said, adding that this would be a focus of the investigation.
McRae was wearing dark trousers, red shoes, and a denim jacket at the time of the shooting. Large parts of his face was shielded, he had clothing pulled over his mouth and a baseball hat covering some of the rest of his face.
Interim Deputy Police Chief Chris Rozman said during a press conference on Tuesday morning that all three of this who were killed were students at the school. He noted that at least two people died and several were injured at Berkey Hall.
Law enforcement said during a press conference on Tuesday that a caller’s tip led police to the shooter.
They said on Tuesday that a search warrant had been carried out on a residence connected to the suspect.
