Update: Two of the three students killed have been identified. Our original story continues below
A typical Monday at Michigan State University in East Lansing ended in terror and heartbreak after a gunman opened fire in at least two different buildings on campus, killing three people and critically injuring five, all of whom, police say, were MSU students.
Ryan Kunkel, 22, was attending a class in the Engineering Building when he became aware of the shooting from a university email. Kunkel and about 13 other students turned off the lights and acted like there “was a shooter right outside the door,” he said.
“Nothing came out of anyone’s mouth” for over four hours, he said.
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“I wasn’t ready to accept that this is really going on next door,” Kunkel said. “This is supposed to be a place where I’m coming, learning and bettering myself. And instead, students are getting hurt.”
According to officials, the shooting began at approximately 8:18 p.m. Monday night at Berkey Hall, an academic building on campus, with multiple 911 calls placed from that location. Police later said that two victims were killed in that building.
Although police responded quickly to the scene, the suspect made their way to the Michigan State University Union, a popular gathering spot for students to eat or study. More victims were shot there, and at least one died from their injuries, officials said.
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Later Wednesday evening, officials said that the 43-year-old suspect, thanks to a caller's tip, had been located. At that time, authorities indicated that the suspect had died from a "self-inflicted gunshot wound."
"There is no longer a threat to campus and the shelter-in-place has been lifted," MSU officials said.
While the hours-long manhunt had ended, the trauma and scars of frightened students who hid in cars and on the floors of classrooms remains fresh.
Claire Papoulias, a sophomore at the school, was at a Cuban history class inside Berkey Hall Monday night when she heard the sound of gunshots behind her. Papoulias told NBC's "TODAY" show that she smelled the gun fire and immediately dropped to the ground.
"At that moment, I thought I was going to die," Papoulas said.
Papoulias said the shooter didn't say anything as he opened fire inside the classroom.
"I'll never forget the screams of my classmates begging for help," she said.
Ted Zimbo said he was walking to his residence hall when he encountered a woman with a “ton of blood on her.”
“She told me, ‘Someone came in our classroom and started shooting,’” Zimbo told The Associated Press. “Her hands were completely covered in blood. It was on her pants and her shoes. She said, ‘It’s my friend’s blood.’”
Zimbo said the woman left to find a friend’s car while he returned to his SUV and threw a blanket over himself to hide for three hours.
During the manhunt, WDIV-TV meteorologist Kim Adams, whose daughter attends Michigan State, told viewers that students were worn down by the hourslong saga.
“They’ve been hiding, all the lights off in a dark room,” Adams said.
Aedan Kelley, a junior who lives a half-mile (less than a kilometer) east of campus, said he locked his doors and covered his windows “just in case.” Sirens were constant, and a helicopter hovered overhead.
“It’s all very frightening,” Kelley said. “And then I have all these people texting me wondering if I’m OK, which is overwhelming.”
The Victims
"We are sad to report that there have been three confirmed fatalities," said Michigan State University Police and Public Safety Interim Deputy Chief Chris Rozman Monday. "This is in addition to the five victims who were injured and transported to the hospital."
According to officials two of the victims were killed at Berkey Hall, and one victim was killed at the MSU union.
"The other five victims, I don't have the specific locations where they were," Rozman said. "We also don't have specific information on how many students or people were in those buildings when the shooting occurred."
In an update Tuesday Rozman confirmed that all eight victims were MSU students.
"We can confirm that all three of the deceased were MSU students," Rozman said. "We can also confirm at this time that all five of the injured victims at the hospital were also MSU students."
Sparrow Hospital Interim President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Danny Martin relayed that four of the wounded required surgery, and all five victims sustained "life-threatening" injuries.
According to Martin, all five victims remain in critical condition.
"This is something we've talked about this morning, that we practice for very often, but never want to have to do," Martin said, holding back tears.
The Suspect
According to officials, the suspect in the shootings was located off-campus just before midnight Eastern time.
"It appears he has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound," officials said in an initial statement. Authorities later added that the suspect is "not affiliated in any way with Michigan State University."
"He's not a student, faculty staff. And we have no idea why he came to campus to do this tonight," officials said Monday.
Tuesday, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Michigan Office Jim Tarasca reinforced that a motive remains unknown.
"We have the same answer this morning, Tarasca said. "We have absolutely no idea what the motive was at this point. We can confirm that the 43-year-old suspect had no affiliation to the University. He was not a student, faculty, staff, current or previous. So that that's an unknown right now. And that's what we're trying to understand, is why this incident occurred. I know everybody wants to know what the motive is. We don't have an answer right now. And that's that's the honest truth."
Authorities on Tuesday also said that a caller's tip led police to locate the suspect.
"We cannot thank the public in the community and the person who called in that report enough for being observant for following our messaging ad for being vigilant and contacting us immediately," Rozman said.
Officials have not released further details about the suspect, or the weapon used.
What's Next
According to officials, an investigation is ongoing, and the campus for the next 48 hours will remain closed.
"We are declaring that campus will be closed for 48 hours, officials said. "That is the current status right now, that is subject to change, as we evaluate our response to this incident, keeping the victims and the students of our community who have been impacted by this tragedy at the forefront."
Names of the victims will be released later Tuesday, officials said.
