Frightened Michigan State students share horrific moments fled for their lives barricaded themselves

Frightened staff and students have been taking to the airwaves on Monday night as they barricaded themselves in their campus dorm rooms and university buildings as a shooter terrorized campus.

The shooter was declared dead at around half midnight, but in the hours between the first shots ringing out and the lockdown being declared over following the death of the suspect, students posted to social media and spoke to local television stations as a wave of fear and panic spread across the Michigan State campus. 

Police say the shooter apparently shot himself off campus. The announcement came early on Tuesday morning, four hours after shootings were reported, first at Berkey Hall and then nearby at the MSU Union, a popular hub to eat or study. 

Student Gabe Turner was taking a chemistry quiz when he got news of a campus shooting on his cellphone.

‘Shortly after I got the alert, I turned on the police radar in our area. About ten minutes after I did, that we got a report that the shooter migrated over to an area block just once away from where I’m standing. That really scared us,’ Turner explained.

‘We got the door barricaded. We were appearing through the windows trying to make sure that he wasn’t going to come over toward us. It isn’t the best in our situation but then five minutes after that they evacuated the entire building. The dining hall area. The police came to make sure that everybody was okay.’

Michigan State University students react during an active shooter situation on campus on February 13, 2023 in Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University students hug during an active shooter situation on campus

Gabe Treutle was on campus taking a chemistry test and barricaded himself in a building

Another student Connor Anderson also explained that he was eating dinner in the campus cafeteria when shots rang out across campus. 

‘I was in the cafeteria, which is on the second floor. I got a text from somebody saying that there had been a shooting. It was on the other side of campus. Basically, we are in lockdown, everything was calm, everyone was listening to police reports,’ Anderson explained. 

‘We heard the shooter was getting closer to the location. Still thought we were safe. We started barricading the doors at some point. The swat team and cops came in and told us to get out of the cafeteria. We stormed down the stairs. We had our hands up. And we had to go to the nearest bus stop. Thee shots got closer and we were stranded by a parking garage. 

It was a scary situation on every level. When the police, say okay, ‘you guys have to run out of here’ that was chaos. Complete chaos. People were getting trampled, we had to go down and there was just one exit. It took a while. All my friends are safe but we are barricaded in my dorm room. 

Another student who did not give his name told WXYZ that it was a ‘terrifying experience’

Another student was at a basketball game when the lights went off and doors were locked as the place went into lockdown

‘Once we got back to our dorm, there were police doing body checks and patting everyone down.’

Another student who did not give his name told WXYZ that it was a ‘terrifying experience. 

‘We were there, locked in the rooms. And the guys were telling us to run out of the back doors as quick as we can, run for our lives. I sprinted out there as fast as I can, and into the woods. People started telling me to run. So, just a terrifying experience.’

Students spoke of a ‘terrifying experience’ as they had to run for their lives

Several students appeared extremely tearful as they recounted the evening’s events

Elsewhere, Sean Turner a Professor of National Security Communication at Michigan State University was on campus when the shooting broke out just after 8pm.

‘Everyone on campus got an alert on our phone that really caught us off-guard. It indicated there was an active shooter on campus, shots were fired and notified us that the campus was going into a shelter in place status,’ Turner explained.

‘That alert came out and for those of us who was leaving the campus, they got off campus and turned on the police scanner to find out what was going on. To be really candid, I mean, we expect this might be as situation where someone may be heard something and thought there were shots fired but it very quickly became clear that this was a real tragedy unfolding on campus,’ Turner said.

‘I immediately got home, I had people in my building on campus that were working late. For most of us here on campus in a leadership position, we went to a motive trying to ensure that not only our students but our staff members, all of our employees were safe in the building they were in on campus.

Sean Turner a Professor of National Security Communication at Michigan State University was on campus when the shooting broke out

Just after midnight, Turner explained how the entire campus was in a lockdown situation.   

‘I know that we still have several students who are students, faculty members, staff who are in lockdown there. And what we are seeing happen on campus right now is information is going out internally to everyone who is connected, letting them know what police will say when they come to the door to get them 

‘We have people who are by themselves, in locked rooms, with the lights out. And they need to know how to validate that the person on the other side of that room is a law enforcement official. So, we are sharing that information internally but that’s the effort that’s underway right now on campus, get those people out, make sure they’re all safe. But there’s definitely something going on here again.’

Three people have died with reports saying some of the victims have life-threatening injuries

Michigan State University students evacuate to a safe area during an active shooter situation

Online, many students posted on the Michigan Police Facebook page that they were barricading themselved in their dorm rooms.

‘I’m stuck in my bathroom, I’ve never been more scared ever in my life’, wrote Hunter Bowers. 

‘Take deep breathes, and try your best to remain calm. We are praying for you and thinking of you. None of you deserve this. Breath and know that you are loved,’ responded one commenter. 

‘Grab the back of the toilet tank lid or anything you can use as a shield or a weapon and stay alert. Praying for you all,’ adviser one Facebook user.

‘Please stay strong for as long as you can. I am thinking of everyone on and around campus right now,’ wrote another in support. 

‘To the fellow students hiding please stay safe I know me and my roommate are terrified right now,’ added Noam Katna.

Online, students many posted on Michigan Police Facebook page that they were barricaded in their dorm rooms

Students are seen hugging one another during what was a traumatic experience on Monday night

Students could be seen being walked to safety under police guard on Monday evening

Police investigate the scene of a shooting at Berkey Hall on the campus of Michigan State University, late Monday, in East Lansing, Michigan

Police revealed how three people were killed and five others wounded before the shooter fled the scen.

The suspect opened fire inside a building at Michigan State University shortly after 8pm said Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of campus police.

The gunman then moved on foot to a nearby building where more shots were fired.

‘There are three confirmed fatalities,’ Michigan State University police said in a statement on Twitter. ‘This is in addition to the five victims who have been transported to the hospital.’

Police released a photo of the suspect, a short black man, wearing red shoes, a denim jacket and a baseball cap

Some of the wounded had suffered life-threatening injuries, Rozman told reporters.

Police released a photo of the suspect, a short black man, wearing red shoes, a denim jacket and a baseball cap.

Police responded quickly to the scene and students and staff were ordered to shelter in place.

Officials said all campus activities will be canceled for the next 48 hours.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was briefed on the shooting and said police were working to secure the area.

‘Let’s wrap our arms around the Spartan community tonight,’ she wrote on Twitter, referring to the university’s athletic logo.

School and university shootings are alarmingly common as part of a broader wave of gun violence in the United States, where the proliferation of firearms has soared in recent years.