Who is Timothy McRae? Anthony McRae's uncle says Michigan State University shooter was 'paranoid schizophrenic'
LANSING, MICHIGAN: Alleged MSU shooter Anthony McRae's uncle Timothy McRae has said the 43-year-old had been a "paranoid schizophrenic" and battled mental health issues before carrying out the shooting. McRae killed himself hours after the shooting at Michigan State University that left three students dead and five in critical condition. The deceased have been identified as Brian Fraser, a sophomore; Alexandria Verner, a junior; and Arielle Anderson, another junior.
Authorities said that McRae's motive is unknown and that he had no affiliation with the university. He was neither a student nor a staff, said Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of the Michigan State University Police, according to NBC News. McRae's father Michael McRae also said he did not know why his son targeted the campus but believes he may have been trying to apply for a job there.
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McRae's uncle, Timothy McRae, said he believes police should have dealt with his relative when they found a gun on him back in 2019. “[Anthony had] mental issues, obviously,” Timothy told New York Post.
Anthony McRae's 2019 arrest
Back in June 2019, McRae was found by Lansing Police, sitting on the back steps of a building as he smoked a cigarette. The police were patrolling the area due to a number of burglaries that had been reported. “You got any weapons on you, or anything like that?” an officer asked, approaching McRae. He admitted that he did and police subsequently found a Ruger LCP .380 semi-automatic pistol in his pants pocket, court records stated.
Originally, McRae was charged with a felony, carrying a concealed weapon, which has a maximum penalty of five years behind bars. McRae was also charged with a misdemeanor, possession of a loaded firearm in or upon a vehicle. This could have been punishable by up to two years in jail but he was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to the misdemeanor, and eventually discharged in May 2021.
Who is Timothy McRae?
Not much has been revealed about Timothy, who said of the 2019 incident, "When they had him in possession of a weapon, they should have given him jail time. Maybe they could have evaluated him then. They put him back on the street knowing that he was able to carry a weapon. I mean, how smart is that?”
Timothy also said McRae used to hear "voices", but it is unclear if the alleged gunman was ever medically diagnosed with any mental health issues. “We are sorry for the loss of life, but at the same time, mental illness is real. When the cops come in contact with people who shouldn’t have firearms and they have a chance to evaluate them, they should evaluate them instead of giving them probation and putting them back on the street," Timothy said, according to News8. “[They] caught someone with a firearm who [seemed] unstable — that should have been obvious."
Anthony McRae turned 'evil and mean' after mom's death
Anthony's father Michael McRae said after the MSU shooting that his son became "evil and mean" and found it difficult to cope after his mother, Linda, died of a stroke. Timothy agreed, admitting he had not seen McRae in years. “The death of a mother is going to send any kid into a spiral, especially if you’re already depressed and schizophrenic, so you can only imagine,” he said. Timothy said the family is “just trying to piece together what happened.”