'Scary on every level': Terrified Michigan State University students describe hiding under laundry and in dorms as gunman went on rampage
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN: Terrified Michigan State University students are describing the fear and chaos at the campus after they barricaded themselves in their dorm rooms and cafeteria when a gunman launched an attack that left at least 3 people dead and 5 gravely injured.
The horrific mass shooting took place at around 8.30 pm on Monday, February 13 when the 43-year-old gunman, who was not affiliated with the university, opened fire at two campus locations and turned the sprawling university into a crime scene. The suspected gunman was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Two pistols and several ammunition magazines were also found in the suspected shooter's backpack, MEAWW reported earlier.
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Following the spine-chilling incident, students posted on social media and spoke with local news stations as a wave of terror and panic surged over the University. A student, who identified himself as Gabe Treutle, said he was taking a chemistry quiz when he received the news of a mass 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, 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," he told CNN, according to DailyMail.
He continued by saying that he and his colleagues barricaded the doors and kept looking through windows to check if the gunman was coming towards them. "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," he added. A senior on campus, Ben Finkelstein, said he hid under laundry and under his bed after he heard the gunshots. "I've never been more afraid than I am now. I'm shaking," Finkelstein told Fox News Digital. "I heard a helicopter, I think. But I heard two faint shots earlier when I had no headphones on."
#BREAKING MSU Active Shooting:
β Fast News Network (@fastnewsnet) February 14, 2023
- At least 1 dead, multiple injured, after shooting at Michigan State University campus in East Lansing
- Shooter is wearing a mask and is at large
- Multiple shooting scenes on campus
- FBI and ATF responding pic.twitter.com/ckiZQdcVS6
Another student, Connor Anderson, noted that he was in the university cafeteria when the gunfire sounded out around campus. "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," Anderson explained. Another student, who wished to stay unidentified, described the attack as a terrifying incident. "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," they told WXYZ.
Three killed, five injured in Michigan State University shooting, suspect dead.
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Furthermore, Sean Turner, a Professor at Michigan State University, who was on campus during the shooting, said the staff and students immediately got an alert on their devices when the gunman opened fire. "That alert came out and for those of us who were leaving the campus, they got off campus and turned on the police scanner to find out what was going on," Turner said, according to DailyMail. "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."