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Details emerge about Michigan State shooter, students killed

Key updates
Arielle Anderson identified as third victim in shooting
Shooting victim Brian Fraser remembered as ‘a great friend’ by fraternity
Shooting victim Alexandria Verner was a ‘beautiful soul,’ father says
A gunman killed three people and critically injured five at Michigan State University on Feb. 13, before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. (Video: Naomi Schanen, Julie Yoon/The Washington Post)
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Updated February 14, 2023 at 9:41 p.m. EST|Published February 13, 2023 at 9:44 p.m. EST
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EAST LANSING, Mich. — Less than a day after a shooting rampage that killed three Michigan State University students and critically injured five more, details about the lives of the victims — and gunman — are surfacing.

Anthony Dwayne McRae, a 43-year-old who police said had mental health issues, killed three students, according to authorities: Arielle Anderson, remembered as a straight-A student; Alexandria Verner, a three-sport high school athlete; and Brian Fraser, who led his fraternity and was called a “great friend.”

McRae in 2019 faced a felony weapons charge for carrying a loaded firearm without a concealed-weapons permit but ultimately pleaded to a misdemeanor. If he had been convicted of the felony, he would have been barred from legally owning a gun, according to a Michigan county prosecutor. Michael McRae told The Washington Post that his son lied and told him he no longer possessed a gun. When asked about hearing the sound of gunfire in the backyard, the son insisted it was fireworks.

Arielle Anderson identified as third victim in shooting
Shooting victim Brian Fraser remembered as ‘a great friend’ by fraternity
Shooting victim Alexandria Verner was a ‘beautiful soul,’ father says

Here’s what else to know

  • President Biden said Congress should ramp up gun law reform after the Michigan State University shooting that killed three students and injured five. He also renewed his call for an assault weapons ban.
  • Shootings were reported at two locations on the East Lansing campus about 90 miles from Detroit: near Berkey Hall, a social science building, and at the MSU Union a short distance away. It set off a manhunt involving hundreds of law enforcement officials and led the university to order its approximately 50,000 students to shelter in place for hours.
  • McRae was not affiliated with the university, officials said, and his motive remains unclear.
  • There have been 67 mass shootings in 2023 in the United States, more than at this point in any year since the archive began tracking in 2014, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.
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Here's what to know:

President Biden said Congress should ramp up gun law reform after the Michigan State University shooting that killed three students and injured five. He also renewed his call for an assault weapons ban.
Shootings were reported at two locations on the East Lansing campus about 90 miles from Detroit: near Berkey Hall, a social science building, and at the MSU Union a short distance away. It set off a manhunt involving hundreds of law enforcement officials and led the university to order its approximately 50,000 students to shelter in place for hours.
McRae was not affiliated with the university, officials said, and his motive remains unclear.
There have been 67 mass shootings in 2023 in the United States, more than at this point in any year since the archive began tracking in 2014, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.

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