On Tuesday, Lansing, Michigan police identified 43-year-old Anthony Dwayne McRae as the perpetrator of the late-night shooting at Michigan State University that killed three students and injured five others.
A law enforcement source briefed on the case claimed that McRae led police on an hour-long manhunt before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound as officers approached him.
The insider further stated that two firearms — one found at the scene and the other in a backpack — were discovered along with multiple magazines.
According to sources, authorities are currently searching McRae’s social media accounts and online writings for any evidence of extremist ideas, such as indicators of misogyny, satanic musings, possible conspiracy theories and signs of isolation.
According to the state department of prisons, McRae was sentenced to 18 months probation after pleading guilty to a gun offense for having a loaded firearm in his car in 2019.
The crime was committed in East Lansing-covering Ingham County. On the Department of Prisons website, he is described as a 5′ 4″ male.
Police in Ewing, New Jersey, shared a statement Tuesday noting that McRae had “a note in his pocket indicating a threat to two Ewing Public Schools” and that an “investigation found that McRae had a history of mental health problems “.
Checking out:
According to the police statement, McRae had “local ties to Ewing”.
As a precaution, police in neighboring Trenton sent police officers to nearby schools early Tuesday.
According to the information that has been made public, John Cohen, an ABC News contributor and a former Homeland Security official, said that
“This appears to be yet another in a growing list of angry, isolated, socially closed off individuals who have finally decided that violence is an appropriate way to express their anger at society and at their personal existence.”
“If history is any indicator,” Cohen said, “we’ll also learn that there were times when his online and physical behavior should have raised red flags.”
Michigan police released the names of the victims on Tuesday in the late afternoon. All of the fatalities were university students.
A spokesman for Michigan State University stated that McRae had no known connection to the institution.
