EAST LANSING, Mich. — One person was killed and others injured in an on-campus shooting at Michigan State University Monday night as the university police told students "secure in place immediately" and searched for a lone gunman.
The university said the first shots were fired inside Berkey Hall at 8:18 p.m. on the north end of campus near Grand River and Farm Lane. Gunshots reportedly were later heard at nearby Snyder-Phillips Hall, where police began swarming the building with guns drawn. IM East was investigated afterward, according to MSU police.
MSU spokeswoman Emily Guerrant confirmed one fatality from the shooting inside Berkey Hall, which houses the College of Social Science, the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research and the Department of Sociology, according to MSU's website.
"Suspect is still at large and believed to be on foot," MSU said in a statement. "All persons on campus and in (the) neighboring community should immediately shelter in place and secure the room they are in."
Victims are being transported to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, according to MSU police, who indicated that Berkey, Brody, Snyder-Phillips, Mason, Abbot and Landon halls had been cleared and secured as well as the MSU Union.
Before 10 p.m., MSU police said the suspect is believed to be a short male with a mask: "Please continue to shelter in place. We are still receiving multiple calls of an active shooter on campus."
A police helicopter regularly circled over the campus as law enforcement closed down Grand River between Division and Abbot. Several different departments were on scene, including agencies from neighboring departments, such as the Livingston County Sheriff's Department, Meridian Township police and the Ingham County Sheriff's Department.
Text messages were also sent out to students on campus at about 8:30 p.m. Monday.
"Secure in place immediately," the messages said. "Run, hide, fight."
Alexis Dinkins, an MSU sophomore, was inside Akers Hall, a dormitory on campus, when she heard people barricading doors and shouting, “Go. Go. Go.” So she said she and other students started to run out of Akers.
As they left the dorm, they encountered police who told them to go to a nearby bus stop.
“We don’t feel safe anywhere,” Dinkins said, standing with a group of students on a campus sidewalk after leaving Akers. She described the situation as “terrifying.”
MSU police said Monday night that campus activities were canceled for the next 48 hours, and advised people not to come to the campus.
The shooting at MSU comes 14 months after a lone shooter killed four students and wounded six students and a teacher at Oxford High School. Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 at the time, pleaded guilty to the shooting in October and is awaiting a hearing where a judge will determine whether he should be sentenced to life in prison.
Law enforcement was setting up a unified command post at the Cowles House on campus. Michigan State Police, Meridian Township police, the Ingham County Sheriff's office plus its regional special response team joined MSU campus police on campus.
At about 9:40 p.m., someone yelled from a campus dormitory window: “Did you catch him yet?”
“All I could do is just think about, ya know, nothing and everything at the same time,” said Matayaa Newbern, 18, a freshman and sociology major standing outside IM East.
Nearly 30 firetrucks, ambulances and other emergency vehicles were lined up outside of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum on Grand River Avenue in downtown East Lansing.
At another point, two armed law enforcement officers escorted about 100 students down the sidewalk after they appeared to be coming from the basketball courts.
"I’ve been briefed on the shooting at Michigan State University," Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said on Twitter on Monday night. "The Michigan State Police along with @msupolice, local law enforcement and first responders are on the ground. Let’s wrap our arms around the Spartan community tonight. We will keep everyone updated as we learn more."
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(Detroit News staff writer Beth LeBlanc contributed to this story.)
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