Chicago area families left beyond worried about loved ones on Michigan State campus
EAST LANSING, Mich. (CBS) -- An active shooter situation had the Michigan State University campus on East Lansing, Michigan on lockdown for hours Monday night.
Three people are confirmed dead and five more were injured before the suspect apparently took his own life.
MSU police Interim Deputy Chief Chris Rozman said police were first alerted at 7:18 p.m. Central time of reports of shootings at Berkey Hall – which the MSU website notes houses the College of Social Science, the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, and the Department of Sociology.
Police found multiple victims who had been shot inside the building, Rozman said.
Police confirmed two of the deceased victims were found in Berkey Hall. They were MSU students.
Immediately afterward, there was a report of another shooting at the MSU Union Building, he said.
At least five victims were taken to area hospitals, some of them with life-threatening injuries, Rozman said.
East Lansing police later confirmed three people had died in addition to the five who were hospitalized. Police confirmed Tuesday morning, all victims were MSU students.
A Sparrow Hospital official said five people remain in critical condition Tuesday morning and four of the victims had to undergo surgery.
Late Monday night, Rozman said the suspect was located outside MSU campus, and is now dead of what was believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"This truly has been a nightmare that we are living tonight," Rozman said. "But we have remained laser-focused on the safety of our campus, or students, and the surrounding community."
An estimated 50,000 students attend MSU. Multiple police agencies – including the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and Michigan State Police were sent to the the scene.
An alert sent shortly after 8:30 p.m. local time urged people to "run, hide, fight," according to CBS Detroit.
CBS 2's Jermont Terry spoke to the grandfather of a young lady who is a sophomore at MSU. Richard Ross lives on Chicago's South Side, and said he is beyond worried.
"She feels safe. She's scared. I guess they've told all the students to stay in place. She barricaded her door, and she's hiding in closet, but obviously, she's petrified," Ross said. "I'm scared. I am. I'm going to the TV right now. I called her once and spoke to her, and told her to stay and do what the police are saying. I want her to be safe. I would hope that God would help everybody would put an end to this."
The campus lockdown was lifted after the suspect was located and apparently took his own life, Rozman said.