Parkland Survivors Speak Out About Gun Control After 3 People Die In Michigan State Shooting
It happened on the eve of the Parkland shooting's five-year anniversary.
Michigan State University. Right: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
On February 13, 2023, police reported shots fired at Michigan State University (MSU). What ended up being a mass shooting claimed the lives of three people while five others are currently in critical condition.
This happened five years almost to the day after the mass shooting that killed 17 people in Parkland, FL, and the high school alumni are being vocal about gun violence.
MSU Police alerted the public around 8:20 p.m. about the threat and advised everyone to go into a secure place immediately. They were still receiving calls of an active shooter at around 10 p.m.
At 10:10 p.m., they noted that the victims were taken to nearby hospitals and confirmed the fatalities at 11:36 p.m. The five people in critical condition and three lives lost were all MSU students.
The gunman was a 43-year-old man, identified as Anthony Dwayne McRae, who was found off campus and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The threat was cleared at 12:28 a.m.
Authorities tweeted, "because of the quick release of the suspect photos through our campus security cameras, a caller's tip was able to lead officers to the suspect."
\u201cUPDATE: The suspect has been located off campus. It appears he has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. There is no longer a threat to campus and the shelter-in-place has been lifted.\u201d— MSU Police and Public Safety (@MSU Police and Public Safety) 1676341009
This Tuesday, America is not only mourning three lives that were taken too soon at MSU, but also the 17 lives lost at Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) High School on February 14, 2018.
With the event dates so close, MSD alumni and March For Our Lives activists are being loud about gun control.
"It shouldn't be on our kids to end school shootings or daily acts of gun violence," David Hogg said on MSNBC, as he listed how many laws they helped pass to put a stop to gun violence.
He also tweeted that this won't end unless we find "common ground."
\u201cEvery single shooting could be one of the last. Instead we continue the endless debate that drives the inaction which brought us here. Until we start making our response to these shootings finding common ground and acting like we did after Parkland- this won\u2019t end.\u201d— David Hogg \u262e\ufe0f (@David Hogg \u262e\ufe0f) 1676340747
Father of Jaime Guttenberg, one of the 17 who died in Parkland, Fred Guttenberg, published that he's in tears watching the Michigan State press conference:
"As I sit here crying for my family and our loss of Jaime 5 years ago in Parkland, I'm watching the press conference in Michigan where the treating physician is crying. Gun violence breaks families and breaks communities. BEFORE IT IS YOUR LOVED ONE, DEMAND WE FIX THIS ONCE AND FOR ALL."
\u201cAs I sit here crying for my family & our loss of Jaime 5 years ago in Parkland, I'm watching the press conference in Michigan where treating physician is crying. Gun violence breaks families & breaks communities. BEFORE IT IS YOUR LOVED ONE, DEMAND WE FIX THIS ONCE & FOR ALL.\u201d— Fred Guttenberg (@Fred Guttenberg) 1676380707
Ryan Deitsch, human rights activist and another survivor of the Parkland massacre, also noted that the leading cause of death for young Americans is being shot.
MSU police are continuously releasing updates on Twitter.