MSU student injured in mass shooting is paralyzed from the chest down

One of the five students who were critically wounded during the deadly mass shooting at Michigan State University is a 20-year-old from China who has been left paralyzed from the chest down.

John Hao, 20, was shot in the back during the Feb. 13 rampage by Anthony McRae, 43, who killed Arielle Anderson, 19, Alexandria Verner, 20, and Brian Fraser, 20, according to a GoFundMe account.

“The bullet severed John’s spinal cord (t7-t8) and critically injured his lungs, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down,” Hao’s roommate and fellow international student Argent Qian wrote.

“As he remains stabilized in the ICU with a breathing tube inserted in his lung, his family is facing significant financial burdens,” Qian explained in the account, which has raised over $350,000 as of Monday morning.

“Due to Covid, they are already in a large amount of debt, and John’s critical injuries are adding to the pressure on the family, leaving their parents not only to pay the debt in the future but also need to take care of John without having any income, since they are in the US without speaking any English,” he added in the statement.

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Qian said Hao’s “mentally crushed” parents have traveled to Michigan to be at his side.

“John is a beloved member of our Spartan community, a leader in a student organization, and a passionate sports enthusiast,” he wrote.

“He is never able to drive to state parks to look at the stars anymore like he used to. He dreams of travelling the globe and having a career in sports management,” Qian continued.

“We might not be able to help him get back on his feet, but we can let him know that the love in this world is beyond physical,” he added in his call for financial assistance.

In an update, Qian wrote that Hao is no longer intubated and appears to be calmer after being told about the overwhelming public support.

“He is aware of what his family is going through right now, and you guys just ease away his stress a lot!” he said.

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Four survivors are listed in critical condition and one in stable condition at Sparrow Hospital, spokesman Corey Alexander told the Detroit Free Press.

Hao is one of two Chinese students who were wounded in the shooting.

Also wounded was Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez, a third-year business student from a migrant family from Florida.

A GoFundMe account for her has raised over $447,000 as of early Monday.