Cops at Michigan State University said Thursday they still have no clue what compelled 43-year-old Anthony McRae to go on a shooting rampage in February, killing three students he didn’t know.
The unsettling concession that they found “no conclusive motive” came in a sweeping update from authorities, who revealed for the first time that McRae purchased the ammo he used in the massacre just hours before. Cops say he rattled off 18 shots in total, mostly at unarmed students, before turning a gun on himself as officers closed in.
Also revealed in Thursday’s update was that McRae was intoxicated by alcohol and THC, the major psychoactive component in cannabis, when his body was recovered, but his blood-alcohol level—.04 percent—wouldn’t have been enough to qualify for a DUI in Michigan.
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Cops also provided for the first time a minute-by-minute breakdown of the shooting. The summary revealed that McRae hopped off a bus and headed to the heart of Michigan State’s campus in East Lansing, Michigan, on the evening of Feb. 13, just hours before Valentine’s Day. He carried two handguns—both purchased legally, but neither registered with the state—and over 150 rounds of ammunition.
Anthony McRae was spotted on campus prior to the shooting.
The first 911 call to report shots fired came at 8:18 p.m. The university blasted out an emergency message telling students to “Run, Hide, Fight,” sending the campus into chaos. Videos quickly spread on social media of a man, now known to be McRae, roaming the campus armed. Despite a quick lockdown, cops say McRae was able to walk from a classroom building to the university’s student union, where he fatally shot a third student.
Those gunned down by McRae were identified as Alexandria Verner, Arielle Anderson and Brian Fraser—all juniors or seniors. Five other students were injured with gunshot wounds.
Chris Rozman, the chief of Michigan State University Police, said in Thursday’s release that he’s “proud” of his detectives who’ve been “working tirelessly,” despite coming up empty when trying to identify a motive. The best insight into what drove McRae to kill, cops said, was a rambling note recovered from the shooting scene.
That note was all over the place—with McRae making mention of a warehouse he used to work at, his church, and two schools in Ewing, New Jersey, where he used to live. He also described himself as a “loner” and “outcast.”
“I’m tired of being rejected,” McRae wrote.
Cops confirmed Thursday that McRae had no connection to the university, despite previous rumors that he’d snapped after he was rejected for a job at the university.
McRae’s dad, Michael McRae, told NBC News after the shooting that his son had grown increasingly bitter and isolated after his mom died of a stroke in 2020.
“He was grieving his mom. He wouldn’t let it go,” the elder McRae said. “He got bitter, bitter and bitter. His mom died, and he just started getting evil and mean. He didn’t care about anything anymore.”
Police said McRae suffered from mental health issues and was arrested for carrying a gun without a permit in 2019, but he pleaded guilty and received only a misdemeanor conviction, the Detroit News reported.
With two months passed since the massacre and McRae dead, it’s unclear if the public will ever truly know what drove him to kill innocent students.
