“Mourning MSU: Join the Nationwide Vigils Honoring the Victims of the Tragic Shooting at Michigan State University”
On April 26th, 2021, two Michigan State University (MSU) students, Isai Berrones and Dominique Nolff, were shot and killed by suspect Anthony McRae. The shooting occurred in East Lansing, Michigan and has left the MSU community and the nation in mourning. In response to the tragedy, vigils have been held nationwide in honor of the victims.
At the vigils, attendees have come together to honor the lives of Berrones and Nolff, and to show support for the MSU community. Attendees have lit candles, shared memories of the victims, and shared words of comfort. The vigils have also been a chance for people to come together in solidarity and to express their grief.
The shooting has left the MSU community and the nation in shock and grief. MSU President Samuel L. Stanley Jr. has expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and has urged the MSU community to come together and support one another during this difficult time. The MSU community has also been offering support to the families of the victims, as well as to each other.
The shooting of Berrones and Nolff has sparked a nationwide conversation about gun violence and the need for stronger gun control laws. The vigils held in honor of the victims have served as a reminder of the need for action to be taken to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
“Mourning MSU: Join the Nationwide Vigils Honoring the Victims of the Tragic Shooting at Michigan State University”
More has been learned about the three young people who were killed – Brian Fraser, Alexandria Verner and Arielle Anderson.
Vigils are being held across the country, from East Lansing to the victims’ hometowns to north suburban Highland Park, which had its own mass shooting during a Fourth of July parade last year.
There will be a vigil on the MSU campus Wednesday.
“I always thought it could happen anywhere; I never thought it would happen here,” said one student.
Classes are canceled and Michigan State University is operating with only essential employees on campus while the investigation into the shooting continues.
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School officials said they plan to offer counseling to students, faculty and staff to allow everyone to process what happened.
A vigil on MSU’s campus Tuesday evening honored the victims of another feed.
The three students killed were Brian Fraser, his fraternity president; junior Alexandria Verner, a popular athlete known for her kindness; and Arielle Diamond Anderson, a junior who wanted to become a surgeon.
“We start calling and texting, and there was no answer. So we were just hoping that maybe he was hiding somewhere. We want the senseless killing to stop,” said Anderson’s aunt, Kimella Spivey.
RELATED | Alleged Michigan State University shooter Anthony McRae considered himself a ‘loner’, FBI says
There is also a clearer picture of the suspect, who police said took his own life.
Authorities said Anthony Dwayne McRae, 43, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound hours after opening fire in two campus buildings.
Detectives said a note found on McRae listed other locations he wanted to hit in Michigan, Colorado and New Jersey.
RELATED | Some MSU students are criticizing the school’s texting during the shooting
Investigators are still working to determine a motive and said McRae has no connection to the victims or the university. He had a history of mental illness and was described as a loner.
Records show he also served 18 months in prison on a weapons charge beginning in 2019.
RELATED | Michigan State University students recount deadly campus shooting: ‘I ducked and took cover’
Michigan State student Jackie Matthews is from Newtown, Connecticut. He was in sixth grade when a gunman killed 20 students and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012.
After the shots rang out Monday night, she said she witnessed the carnage again.
“The fact that the odds of me being in both places for two mass shootings is unfortunately not as unlikely as it is for other people. That’s enough. It just needs to end,” Matthews said.
“Good Morning America” spoke with Matt Riddle, whose daughter, Emma, not only survived the MSU mass shooting, but just 14 months ago, was almost a victim in another shooting in meal at a high school in Oxford, Michigan, that left four people dead. seven dead and wounded.
“Having gone through that at Oxford, it helped her understand what to do in these situations. And, I don’t like that she has those tools. I wish she didn’t, but she does,” Riddle said.
Classes at MSU will resume on Monday.
A vigil is planned at “The Rock” on campus Wednesday night to honor the victims.
Five students remain hospitalized in critical condition. During a press conference on Wednesday, officials said a number of the injured students were international students.
Those who left items in the buildings where the shootings took place can access them Wednesday, FBI officials said.
Some Michigan State students channeled their grief into protests Wednesday, gathering at their Lansing chapter to urge gun reform.
Hundreds braved the cold and windy weather as they sat on the building’s majestic steps, listening to sympathetic and angry speeches calling for legislative action to reduce the violence they were exposed to.
They were joined by several of the Spartan community as they moved to the path leading to the entrance and held a “sit-in” there.
Student leaders then addressed the protest with more pleas for change and accounts of the trauma they had experienced.
ABC News contributed to this report.
On Monday night, tragedy struck Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing, Michigan, when a gunman opened fire in two campus buildings, killing three students and injuring five more. The victims were identified as Brian Fraser, Alexandria Verner, and Arielle Anderson. Vigils have been held across the country, and MSU is offering counseling to students, faculty, and staff to help them process the tragedy. The shooter, Anthony Dwayne McRae, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and had a history of mental illness. He had no connection to the victims or the university, but a note found on him listed other locations he wanted to hit in Michigan, Colorado, and New Jersey.
In response to the shooting, MSU students have organized protests to urge gun reform and to call for legislative action to reduce the violence they were exposed to. Classes will resume on Monday, and those who left items in the buildings where the shootings took place can access them on Wednesday. In addition, a vigil will be held on campus Wednesday night to honor the victims.
The tragedy has caused grief across the country, including in the Chicago area, which has many students who attend the college. The shooting has also brought back painful memories for some students, such as Jackie Matthews, who was in sixth grade when a gunman killed 20 students and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012. Matt Riddle, whose daughter Emma survived the MSU mass shooting, said his daughter had experienced a similar tragedy just 14 months ago, when a shooting in a high school in Oxford, Michigan, left four people dead and seven wounded.
The MSU shooting and its aftermath have highlighted the need for gun reform in the United States and the need to provide support and resources to those affected by such tragedies. The MSU community, and those affected by the shooting, will continue to grieve and honor the victims as they take steps towards healing.