Anthony McRae, the shooter in Monday night’s Michigan State University massacre, had two guns with him when he was found, authorities said Thursday.
Both weapons were 9 mm handguns that were legally purchased by McRae, but hadn’t been registered, police said at a news conference. The MSU gunman also had additional ammunition and two pages of notes, cops said.
McRae killed himself after a manhunt, according to officials, who say they found him roughly 3.8 miles northwest of the university’s campus in East Lansing, Mich.
Three MSU students — 19-year-old Arielle Anderson, 20-year-old Brian Fraser and 20-year-old Alexandria Verner — died in the on-campus shooting, which left five others wounded.
One of the wounded students was upgraded Thursday to stable condition, while the other four remain critical. Officials haven’t named the wounded victims.
“I’m pleased that we are seeing some signs of improvement in some of our students,” MSU Interim President Theresa Woodruff said. “Our Spartan nation continues to send good thoughts to each of them, to their families, and to the doctors and nurses at Sparrow Hospital.”
McRae, 43, wasn’t a student or employee at the university. The notes indicated a possible motive, which police haven’t confirmed or discussed publicly, Michigan State Police Lt. Rene Gonzalez said Thursday.
Authorities interviewed McRae’s father, who said his son didn’t have any friends and “pretty much never left his room,” according to Gonzalez. McRae didn’t appear to say anything to officers during a short confrontation before he killed himself, Gonzalez said.
“It appears, based on the content of the note, that he felt that he was slighted in some way by people or businesses,” Chris Rozman, the interim deputy chief of MSU Police, said Thursday. “Did a mental health issue amplify that or was it a component of that? We’re not sure at this point.”
Michigan State resumed its standard operations Thursday. The buildings where the shootings occurred — Berkey Hall and the MSU Union — remain closed.