Scott Atkinson,Mitch Smith and Neal E. Boudette. Sign up to receive local emergency alerts and register your work and personal contact information with any work sponsored alert system. After the real-life simulation, when I walked out of my former school, I remember thinking to myself: God I hope this never happens here.. LANSING More than two weeks after a mass shooting at Michigan State University, campus police are struggling to explain why it took them 13 minutes after a gunman first opened fire to send an emergency alert to students. MSU ALERT: There have been shots fired near Berkey Hall on the East Lansing campus. And then just a bunch of kids start running at me. When police got there, they found an "active shooter situation" and located multiple victims with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. "But at this juncture, Ithink we need to focus on the community, the families, supporting all the first responders, including the incredible people at our hospitals that are working so hard to save the lives of those who are fighting for their lives.". Then he checked on his friends, to make sure they were OK, he said. My heart beat loudly, even though I knew it was a drill. As resilient as we are, this is a terrible, terrible, terrible loss of three lives.. School shootings are becoming more frequent, after a lull during the pandemic. The rampage at Oxford High School, north of Detroit in Oakland County, was the deadliest shooting on school property this year, according to Education Week, which tracks such shootings and has reported 28 of them in 2021. He said that as they were texting their parents, a police officer with a rifle knocked on their classroom door, telling them to get out. An active shooter killed three people and injured five more in two shootings at Berkey Hall and the student union on the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing, Michigan, on. The cafeteria that hosted after-school dances. Follow him on Twitter: @TSChristenson. The two victims have been identified as sophomore Brian Fraser, of Grosse Pointe, and junior Alexandria Verner, of Clawson. Police said the man opened fire as soon as the officers went to the door. The Calhoun County Sheriff's Office says that a deputy and two Marshall police officers went to the house on W. Hanover Street near Cherry Street around 10:45 a.m. Friday to take the suspect to. pic.twitter.com/xa4KlwXJWN. The gun used in the Michigan school shooting was purchased by the suspects father. Staff Writers Robert Snell and Neal Rubin contributed. . All about alerts during emergency situations. MARSHALL - A 30-year-old Marshall man was shot Friday in an exchange of gunfire with police. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Parents were asked to avoid the campus and to instead meet students leaving the school at the parking lot of a nearby store. The email reiterated that the shelter-in-place order had been lifted for staff and students on campus. "I can tell you, if there were, we work very closely with Tim Throne, the superintendent, and the principal at the school. OK2SAY Michigans 24/7 confidential reporting tool for tips regarding public and private school violence(Link) He was not injured, and hes currently lodged at Childrens Village on campus here. Gretchen Whitmer described gun violence as a public health crisis, adding: No one should be afraid to go to school, work, a house of worship, or even their own home. According to police, the incident was a confrontation over a bill. Meridian Township Police sent out a message Tuesday, Feb. 7, that everyone in the building at Okemos is safe and that the building has been secure. Cameron Chmielewski, a senior at Oxford High School, was barricaded in a classroom with his peers during the shooting. The town hall on Wednesday, March 1 is scheduled from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in room 157 of the Bernhard Center, 1903 W Michigan Ave. Western Student Association President Cheng Kidd Sun said the event came about when he emailed WMU Director of Public Safety Scott Merlo asking what the next steps were following the mass shooting. In September, a student was fatally shot at his high school in Winston-Salem, N.C. We practiced. The wounded are at three hospitals; McLaren Lapeer Region Community Medical Center, McLaren Oakland in Pontiac andSt. Joseph Mercy Oaklandin Pontiac. The deputies removed from the suspect, a 9-millimeter Sig Sauer SP-2022 pistol. Subscribe to Patch: https://patch.com/subscribe Contact this Patch reporter: Carly.Baldwin@patch.com. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. Gretchen Whitmer joined McCabe for the late afternoon news conference, telling reporters: "This is every parent's worst nightmare. Its just insane.. Police have said that the suspect is a 15-year-old student at the school, that he used a semi-automatic handgun, and that he fired more than 15 shots, using multiple magazines. Were trying to map that out and see where are the crucial points that we should inform students and where are the resources readily available for students as well.. Deputy Police Chief Chris Rozman told Bridge Michigan on Monday that all officers "heroically went toward the threat" after the . The family has hired an attorney, McCabe added, and authorities executed a search warrant atthe teens home. Some students, he recalled, armed themselves with scissors while the teacher walked around quietly, checking on them. If there were, I believe they would have told us," he said. Bill Keenist, a 34-year resident of Oxford and a former Oxford Community Schools board member, compared his emotions Tuesday to how he felt after the 9/11 terror attacks. As a reminder, secure mode means that classes continue as normal within the school building, but outdoor recess and other activities outside of the school building are suspended until further notice, the districts message noted. We must act to properly address gun violence in our schools and the ongoing threat of another unconscionable tragedy if we continue to only offer thoughts and prayers, Ms. Nessel said. Ramp to westbound I-94 closing for month in Kalamazoo County, Western Michigan Universitys Ebony Vision celebrates 20 years of diverse dance. ", The administration's notice continued: "The safety and security of our students and staff is always our top priority. Sheriff Bouchard said investigators had been told the gunman pretended to be an officer in order to access barricaded classrooms. KALAMAZOO, MI -- Western Michigan University's student government is partnering with campus police to host a town hall Wednesday to discuss how an active shooter situation would be. After hearing this Im still thinking okay, this is probably a suspicious person, walking around campus, theyll get them in a minute and itll be over, he said. MARSHALL - A 30-year-old Marshall man was shot Friday in an exchange of gunfire with police. And I didnt know what was happening. Lexipol. It was loaded at the time, and still contains seven rounds of ammunition. Snow winds down in Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Olympic curlers are partners, friends, siblings, Red Wings trade Bertuzzi to Bruins for 2 draft picks, Former Alma wrestling coach named Albion AD, Izzo announces MSU & Minnesota game wont be played, Get some help with houseplants this weekend, Noodle Fest closing out World of Winter celebration, Planning for those big life moments with Bankers, Everything for your home & garden under one roof, Learn about how to maximize energy savings for your, Byron Center student stands out for musical talent, City High Senior recognized for academic awards, Disability Advocates of Kent Co. push for accessibility, 9 to 5 musical coming to Aquinas this weekend, Best athletic wear for kids joining baseball and, How to watch all the Oscar-nominated movies in style, Best smart home devices for older users, according, Mexican AG sacked in wake of bloody prison break, Feds upgrading inspection technology at ports of, 1 arrested after robbing GR Meijer with pepper spray, Paw Paw firefighter to be laid to rest today, Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan actor, dies at, Consumers: No widespread outages expected in storm, Former MSU guard Appling sentenced in murder case, After 126 years, U.P.s only private college to close, Parent alert: Teens dying by suicide amid sextortion, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. ", "This is a uniquely American problem that we need to address," she said. But that was the point of it. Preliminary investigation revealed that the weapon used in the shooting was purchased on Nov. 26, four days ago, by the boys father. School shootings are tallied in different ways by different organizations, but the trends are similar. Tim Throne, the superintendent of Oxford Community Schools, said he didnt know yet know the victims names or whether their families had been contacted. 34 "We don't know if they (the students) were targeted," McCabe said. Meridian Township Police and Fire Departments have determined there is no imminent threat at Okemos High School after responding to a call for an active shooter Tuesday morning. The Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as an episode in which four or more people are injured or killed, not including the perpetrator, counted 611 such shootings in 2020, compared with 417 the year before. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer. And they are roaming the school; they're actively patrolling, Curtis said. He was not injured. Officials said the gunman fired 15 to 20 shots with a semiautomatic handgun before being apprehended. Students in a classroom at Oxford High School used desks to barricade the doors. Incidents like the shooting at Oxford High School or the Kalamazoo shootings in 2016 show the importance of remaining vigilant, reporting suspicious activity, and having a plan to prevent and respond to an active shooter. With his parents present, he declined to speak and they have hired an attorney. ", "Allthe parents and relatives have been notified of the deceased and of everyone that was shot," he said. Everybody remained in place, the undersheriff, Michael McCabe, said at an afternoon conference. All three officers returned fire and retreated to their patrol cars. At this point, I have no idea what's going on, he said. and manufacturers. 2023 www.battlecreekenquirer.com. Last month, a shooting that the authorities said happened during a fight at a high school in Arlington, Texas, left four people injured. Early reports were that the man might be at large in the neighborhood. Its pretty weird to be happening here.. The sheriff said the gun had 15-round magazines. - Shareablevideos for social media about the importance of reporting suspicious activity, Department of Homeland Security - Active Shooter Preparedness Booklet, Emergency Operations Planning Guidance - Active Shooter Guidefor Business, Emergency Operations Planning Guidance- Guide for Developing School Emergency Operations Plans, Emergency Operations Planning Guidance - Houses of Worship, Emergency Operations Planning Guidance - Health Care Facilities. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Share This: EAST LANSING Michigan State University police acknowledge their initial attempt to warn students of a campus gunman was delayed because every officer on duty had rushed to confront the shooter. Oxford school shooting - latest: Student heard of threats before Michigan attack that left at least three dead. Students described frantically hiding in classrooms and fleeing from the school after long minutes of terror. Officers from Marshall, Calhoun County Sheriff Department, Michigan State Police, Battle Creek Police, Emmett Township police, Tribal Police and the Department of Natural Resources all converged on Marshall. They then ran from the area through the rear of the school, the 15-year-old ninth-grader said. Late Tuesday, Oxford school officials announced all of its schools would be closed for the rest of the week. John Lyman, public information officer for several fire departments in the area, said "60 units" were dispatched to the scene. More: Students describe Oxford High School shooting, A tearful Gov. But this wasnt a drill. One of the protocols is, 'if you can get out, get out.'". Eric Seals/Detroit Free Press, via USA Today. MSP is not aware of any specific or credible threats to K-12 educational facilities in Michigan. We have security guards in our school. Police also said they were only looking for one suspected shooter at that time. It's devastating," he said during an afternoon briefing. He's been with WDIV since 2013. Police said the suspect fled on foot from the Union on campus, and were going to be releasing surveillance video of the alleged suspect. When the briefing begins, you can watch live in the stream here. Three students were killed and five students were critically injured in the shooting. They went to the gunshots.". And then it does. Meridian Township Police and Fire Departments have determined there is no imminent threat at Okemos High School after responding to a call for an active shooter Tuesday morning. This is a time for us to come together and help children feel safe at school., President Biden, speaking at an event in Minnesota, said, My heart goes out to the families enduring the unimaginable grief of losing a loved one, adding, That whole community has to be in a state of shock right now.. Michigan State University police reported that they were securing IM East. 2023 The Detroit News, a Digital First Media Newspaper, Authorities swarm home of suspected Oxford High shooter, Students describe Oxford High School shooting. "By 2010-2020, when I was in Lake Orion, it was a high priority. Emergency personnel worked outside Timberview High School in Arlington, Texas, after a shooting on campus in October. Less than 6,000 students across five townships and two villages in southeastern lower Michigan are enrolled in the overwhelmingly white district. And Lankerd said social media reports of an active shooter at a grocery store, robbery of a credit union and that an officer has been shot were all false. John Lyman, the fire and life safety educator for Rochester Hills Fire Department, spoke at a news conference after the shooting. "Ultimately, we will get to the bottom of this. All I remember is fear that something like that could happen at my school. The authorities received the first of more than a hundred 911 calls about the shooting at 12:51 p.m. on Tuesday, Michael McCabe, the Oakland County undersheriff, said. Three students are dead and eight people are injured after an active shooter situation shut down a Michigan high school. Ready.gov -Mass attacks in crowded and public places(Link) Most of the Oakland County schools at the time went through very specific training on how to respond to an active shooter," she said. KALAMAZOO, MI -- Western Michigan Universitys student government is partnering with campus police to host a town hall Wednesday to discuss how an active shooter situation would be addressed on campus. This couldnt be just random, she said. Im shocked. In this email, officials confirmed there is no longer a threat to the East Lansing campus, and repeated that the shooter was found dead. The suspect had been shot in the exchange of gunfire, so he was taken to a Kalamazoo hospital to be treated. I was just kind of sitting there shaking, said Dale Schmalenberg, 16, who said he was in calculus class when his teacher heard a gunshot and locked down the classroom. Before Tuesday, none of the shootings in the publications list involved more than one death. A standoff ensued. Students and staff members at Oxford High School did everything right as the school shooting unfolded on Tuesday, the undersheriff of Oakland County said. Police investigate the scene of a shooting at Berkey Hall on the campus of Michigan State University, late Monday, Feb. 13 . More: Police say at least 3 dead, 5 hurt in shootings on Michigan State University campus. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Similar threats were made across the state in Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Muskegon, Saginaw, Detroit, Portage and Jackson. Our kids deserve better.. In the halls I used to walk. Active Shooter Command Staff - Chiefs & Sheriffs Community Policing Corrections Drug Enforcement . Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. "I hope that we can all rise to the occasion and wrap our arms around the families.". This may be called Tools or use an icon like the cog. The classrooms where I struggled with math. He added that he started seeing in various group chats with his friends that people were being shot. They were prepared, he said in a phone interview with The New York Times. You know, because of social media, theres a lot of stuff out there. Anyone with information can call the sheriff's dispatch center at (248) 858-4911. The Oakland County sheriff said the semiautomatic gun used by a sophomore at Oxford High School was bought by his father four days before the shooting. Michigan School Shooting Michigan High School Shooting: . Im ex-military and so my first reaction was to go the opposite way. The man was taken by ambulancefrom a home at 731 W. Hanover St. southwest of downtown two-and-a-halfhours after the shooting. Undersheriff McCabe said the school was blanketed with security cameras and had repeatedly worked with law enforcement to hold active shooter drills. I had tears in my eyes. At about 12:51, we had over a hundred 911 calls into our dispatch center of an active shooter at the Oxford High School. Meridian . Our only connection to the outside is those group chats and Im hearing from people that people got shot, people are hurt, people are running out of the school, Jacob added. That whole community has to be in a state of shock right now, Mr. Biden added. After the shooting, the township supervisor said he's left to wonder what else couldve been done, or could be done, to secure the school. Law Enforcement, Fire, and EMS agencies from throughout the county worked together to enhance coordination and response to an emergency involving an active shooter. A 47-year-old female teacher whose shoulder was grazed by a bullet was discharged from a hospital after treatment. Hes a 15-year-old male, sophomore, a resident of Oxford Village. While the lockdown at Jackson High School was lifted, students and staff at Jackson High School and Jackson Pathways will be released by 10 a.m., Superintendent Jeff Beal said. MIReady Family Preparedness Guide(PDF) They barricaded themselves., You never think its going to happen to you, Aiden said. Isabel Flores, a 15-year-old freshman, was inside the school when the gunshots were fired. Ultimately, we will get to the bottom of this.. Ginopolis said she underwent training in Lake Orion after she left Oxford. Loud bangs were used to simulate gunshots. Two of the students were shot and killed at Berkey Hall, and one student was shot and killed at the MSU Union. The Detroit News is not naming the alleged suspect because he is a juvenile who has not been charged. Once you are out of the line of fire, try to prevent others from walking into the danger zone and call 9-1-1. Ms Redding didnt provide specifics about what her son had heard, but she expressed concern with school safety in general. Related: 1 of 5 Michigan State students wounded in mass shooting leaves hospital. Michigan State University police confirmed that they are investigating a note found on the suspect, Anthony McRae, when he was found Monday night. As for how the suspect got the gun inside, McCabe said: "We know, but I'm not going to say that right now.". He said a primary topic of the conversation will be learning more about what WMUs readiness level is. This was a hoax call made by an unknown Google Number, Beal said. "Of course, I'm shocked. It was more than a decade ago and such drills were relatively new at the time. Oxford Township Supervisor Jack Curtis, 68, told The News Tuesday that he sentfour kids through Oxford High School. He has not been publicly identified by authorities. Drills like the one I covered years ago have become commonplace at schools across the country, including at Oxford High School. All rights reserved. A vigil was held at WMU on Feb. 15 to grieve, mourn and honor the victims and show support for the East Lansing community. All rights reserved. Michigan State University map showcasing IM East, Phillips Hall, Berkey Hall and the MSU Union, were asked to shelter in place on Monday night, released the names of two of the three students who were killed. He said he saw images of bullet holes in the windows on social media. Enter https://www.police1.com/ and click OK. "She's currently on a ventilator after surgery, so it's looking very tough for this young girl," said Bouchard, who struggledto maintain his composure. Inside one classroom, students barricaded the door and grabbed scissors. At the time, he was part of a group of students working on a project about poverty and expressed sympathy for thehomeless and hungry. Please don't believe everything you hear or see on social media. Say Something. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. "They just reported a shooter at im east [IM East, a recreational building]," texted Joe Ryder, a Northwood High School graduate and freshman at Michigan State University (MSU) in Lansing, sometime after 8 p.m. Monday night, Feb. 13. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Students interviewed after the shooting said that the school had had such a drill last month and Michael McCabe, the Oakland County undersheriff, said that even though there had been a detailed plan in place to respond to such a tragedy, you never think its going to happen where you live.. Later, after the gunman was taken into custody, Aiden said he was still processing what happened. Other schools in Jackson County, include da Vinci Institute, went into lockdown as a precautionary measure. I hope that we can all rise to the occasion and wrap our arms around the families, the affected children and school personnel. My heart goes out to the families enduring the unimaginable grief of losing a loved one. Were hearing all kinds of rumors about warning signs. Sheriff Bouchard said that officials did not know if there were other firearms in the suspects home, adding that was part of the investigation. MSU police held another briefing with some minor updates. Kalamazoo Police said they got a call of shots fired at 9:15 a.m. Saturday at the Greyhound bus station/Kalamazoo Transportation Center on North Burdick Street. Everyone is being asked not to go to campus on Tuesday. The only adult who was shot, a 47-year-old teacher, had been discharged from a hospital. I was 13 years old when the Columbine massacre happened. A Times editor who attended Oxford recalls a decade-old shooting drill. There is no longer a threat to campus and the shelter-in-place has been lifted.. It was just unbelievable, he said. Lankerd did not have information about the man's condition and said he was still gathering details about the incident. ", Whitmer, during an evening news briefing, said "it's too early to talk about policies that might need to change as a result of this. NEW! When Oakland County deputies searched Thomas home, they recovered 16 assembled bombs, shotgun shell bombs, blueprints of the school, a "napalm substance" and a flash drive that contained information and pictures of explosives. The school made sure that we knew where to go, who to call and how to act, said Eva Grondin, a 15-year-old sophomore, who attended active shooter training several weeks ago, and who fled from a hallway to a parking lot on Tuesday when she heard gunfire. Shaken parents rushed to a local grocery store to reunite with their children.