Police hunt for motive in Michigan State University shooting that killed 3, wounded 5

Police were searching for a motive Tuesday in the shooting deaths of three students at Michigan State University by a gunman who had no known connection to the school and who later killed himself.

Five other students remain in critical condition from Monday’s shooting in East Lansing, Mich., by a man identified by police Tuesday as 43-year-old Anthony McRae. All eight who were shot were students.

A caller’s tip led police to McRae in Lansing, the state capital, said Christopher Rozman, interim deputy chief of the Michigan State University Department of Police and Public Safety. Rozman said McRae was dead of “self-inflicted gunshot wounds.”

Rozman said the gunman had no known association with the university.

“We have absolutely no idea what the motive was at this point,” Rozman said. “That’s an unknown right now.”

The five surviving victims are in critical condition at Sparrow Hospital, said Denny Martin, the hospital’s interim president. Four of the victims had to undergo surgery.

The shooting began Monday night at an academic building and later moved to the nearby student union, a popular gathering spot for students to eat or study. As hundreds of officers scoured the campus, about 90 miles northwest of Detroit, students hid where they could.

Four hours after the first shots were reported, police announced the man’s death.

This is a developing story. The Associated Press contributed to this report.