Michigan State: at least three killed and five hurt in university shooting - what happened to gunman?

At least three people have been killed after a shooting at Michigan State University.

Another five people were injured in the attack at the main campus in the city of East Lansing late on Monday (13 February).

A manhunt was launched for the suspect - described by police as a “black male, shorter in stature”, wearing a cap, red shoes and a jean jacket - after he fled on foot. It was announced early on Tuesday (14 February) local time that the gunman had died apparently from a “self-inflicted gunshot wound”.

The announcement came four hours after shootings were reported shortly after 20:00 local time on Monday (01:00 GMT Tuesday), first at Berkey Hall and then nearby at the MSU Union, a popular hub to eat or study.

Michigan State lifted a shelter-in-place order that had been in place for students since around 8.30 pm on Monday.

Interim deputy chief of the campus police department Chris Rozman said it was too early to know a motive and whether the man had some type of affiliation with the university. His name was not immediately released. He said: “There’s a lot that we don’t know at this point.”

Rozman added that two people were killed at Berkey and another was killed at the MSU Union. At least five victims were at Sparrow Hospital, according to hospital spokesperson John Foren, who had no information on their conditions.

By 10.15pm, police said Berkey, as well as nearby residence halls, were secured. At a news briefing, police said there were several crime locations and their investigation was continuing. The attacker’s motive is not yet known.

Aedan Kelley, a junior who lives a half-mile (less than a kilometre) east of campus, said he locked his doors and covered his windows “just in case”, and described hearing constant sirens and a helicopter hovered overhead. He said: “It’s all very frightening. And then I have all these people texting me wondering if I’m OK, which is overwhelming.”

Authorities announced late on Monday that all campus activities would be cancelled for 48 hours, including athletics and classes. An announcement on Twitter advised people not to come to campus on Tuesday.

Michigan State has about 50,000 students in total and East Lansing is based about 90 miles (145 kilometres) northwest of Detroit.

The East Lansing High School auditorium, where a school board meeting was being held on Monday night, was locked down and people were being prevented by police from leaving, the Lansing State Journal reported.