EAST LANSING, Mich. – A Michigan State University professor says he was teaching inside Berkey Hall Monday night when a gunman opened fire in his classroom, shooting at least seven students. Two of those students were killed.
Starting at about 8:18 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13, a gunman fired shots at students at two on-campus buildings: Berkey Hall, an academic building, and the MSU Union. Assistant Professor Marco Díaz-Muñoz says he was teaching in Berkey Hall when the gunman appeared in his doorway and fired several rounds at his students.
“I don’t know how long he stood there,” Díaz-Muñoz said. “I mean, he shot at least 15 shots.”
Díaz-Muñoz said the shooter barely stepped foot inside of his classroom, where students were learning Cuban cultural identity. The gunman then fired randomly at the students, who were boxed in by theater-like seating in the lecture hall.
Seven of the eight victims of the Monday night shootings were in Díaz-Muñoz’s classroom, according to the professor. Two of those students -- 20-year-old Alexandria Verner and 19-year-old Arielle Anderson -- died from their injuries. Five other students were critically injured and hospitalized.
“I’m haunted because I didn’t know what to do,” Díaz-Muñoz said. “I didn’t know whether to leave their bodies. There was so much blood.”
But even in those moments of terror, after the gunman left, Díaz-Muñoz reportedly blocked the door to the classroom and told students to break the windows and escape. The professor witnessed several students stay behind and render aid to those injured.
“They were trying to cover the wounds with their hands so they didn’t bleed to death,” Díaz-Muñoz said.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said at a vigil this week that she spoke with an injured student at the hospital, who said another student took their shirt off and applied pressure to their chest, which potentially saved their life.
“I think I’ll be haunted by it,” Díaz-Muñoz said. “I definitely don’t want to go to Berkey Hall, because I couldn’t go into that classroom after what I saw.”
One other student, 20-year-old Brian Fraser, was fatally shot soon after at the MSU Union, which is just west of Berkey Hall. Four of the five injured students remain in critical condition as of Friday, while one has been upgraded to stable condition.
All MSU classes have been canceled through Sunday, and Berkey Hall will remain closed for at least the remainder of the semester. Some students are requesting even more supportive actions, however. In an emotional op-ed written posted by the State News, students say they need more time away from classes to process their grief and better understand what they’ll need to cope with this tragedy going forward.
Read more: In emotional plea, Michigan State students ask for longer break from classes, more support
The investigation into the fatal mass shooting is underway, with different aspects being carried out by multiple law enforcement agencies. Authorities are still unsure why the 43-year-old gunman, who has no known ties to the university, attacked students on campus earlier this week.
About three hours after the first shooting was reported, police located the gunman about 3.8 miles away in Lansing, thanks to a called-in tip. The gunman appeared to be on his way back to his home in Lansing, police said.
When officers found and made contact with the gunman, he shot and killed himself. Officers found two 9 mm handguns, several magazines both loaded and unloaded, and dozens of rounds of loose ammunition on his person. A note containing a list of additional targets was also found on the shooter.
Police have not yet publicly revealed everything they know about the note, but it was said the shooter indicated that he felt slighted by those at the listed locations. The gunman, identified as Anthony McRae, was not a student, staff or faculty member at Michigan State University and never had been, police said.
Related: Michigan State shootings: Update on injured students, 2 guns, note, contact with shooter, more