February 13th, 2023 was just a regular Monday evening. I was working on homework with my daughter when I received an unusual text alert. It read: “MSU: Active Violence situation on/near MSU campus. Secure-in-place or evacuate safely. Run, Hide, Fight.”
At first, I kind of dismissed it. I figured it was another realtor with a great cash offer to buy my home. But then… I read it again.
My oldest child Max is a freshman at Michigan State University (MSU). I vaguely recall signing up for MSU Safety alerts back in the fall when he was moving into his new dorm. As I glanced at phone, another text message came through.
This one read: “MSU Police report shots fired incident occurring on or near the East Lansing campus. Secure-in-place immediately. Run, Hide, Fight”.
My stomach sank. I quickly texted my son to see if he received the message. Luckily, he replied right away. Yeah, he responded, we get those all the time.
I quickly called him. “What do you mean you get these all the time?”
“There’s always something going on around campus” he shrugged.
“But it says there’s an active shooter ON CAMPUS!” I said, trying to stay calm. “Are you in your dorm room?”
“We’re in the dorm lobby right now, but heading that way. We were just told to go directly to our room and lock the door.”
“Good”, I replied, again trying not to yell (too loud), “Hurry up! Go straight to your dorm room and let me know when you get there! I’m so sorry you are going through this!” I added, trying to sound more supportive than frantic.
Like any parent, all I wanted to do was protect my child, but I live in Columbus, Ohio, and MSU is over 250 miles away. I felt terrified and helpless!
To be fair, I’m a 53-year-old woman with no formal weapons training, so there’s probably not much I could have done, but I still felt powerless.
About 15 minutes later, after I had paced the entire house, he texted back. I’m in my friend’s dorm room, he said. We’re all locked in here together. The RA told us to move the dresser in front of the door.
My first instinct was to tell him to go to his own room, but I reasoned that it was better to be trapped inside with the support of his friends.
He told me they were listening to the local police scanner for updates, and he would send me the link.
I quickly tuned into the live broadcast. I could hear panic and fear in the voices of the young officers. The first on the scene were probably campus police and local East Lansing officers certainly not prepared for something this monumental!
What an impossibly traumatic situation. They called out different buildings and halls around campus. They checked the University President’s home, and that was clear. The dispatcher was frantically reporting new 911 reports of shots fired, and suspicious activity, as the officers were breathlessly running and reporting their status.
At first the information was helpful, but then came the misinformation. They say that in such a tragic situation, our mind plays tricks on us. We see and hear things that might not really exist. Calls came in reporting that up to four shooters had been spotted. Shots were heard all over campus. There were even reports of explosive sounds.
As the dispatcher relayed reports of shots fired near more and more buildings, I held my breath waiting to hear the name of Max’s building. I pulled up the MSU map to see if the shots were close. The campus is huge, I tried to reassure myself.
But then I heard the call of shots reported near Hubbard Hall. That’s where Max lives! Immediately I picked up the phone to call, but then decided to text. Better to stay silent.
Max said they heard the report and had moved into the bathroom of the suite. I wasn’t exactly following the logic there, but I didn’t argue.
Students received instructions to ignore any fire alarms, as they could be a ruse to get students to run outside. They were urged to stay as quiet as possible, and to not open the door for anyone – even if they claimed to be police.
After about 20 unbearable minutes, we heard the officers on the scanner confirm that Hubbard Hall was clear. Thankfully, the report was not true.
I was glad that Max had his friends there for support, so I resisted the urge to keep calling and texting. We settled on an “I’m safe” text every 30 minutes or so.
After a few hours, I had to turn off the scanner. It was just adding to my anxiety. At one point, I thought that I heard gun shots in the background. All the misinformation and rumors were making it worse.
I turned to social media for more information, which I should have known would be a mistake. Pictures of multiple shooters marching with assault rifles were posted. Profiles of alleged suspects popped up. Video of students running and screaming were painful to watch!
By this time, news was getting out to the national media. I started getting calls and texts from nervous family and friends across the country. My dad called from Florida and an aunt from California. All I could tell them was that Max was safe and locked inside his dorm.
Around 11:30, Max finally texted me the news we had all been waiting for. One shooter was identified and confirmed dead. The police had found him hiding. As they approached him, he took his own life.
The police were also starting to believe that there was only one shooter, which brought some relief, but they still recommended all students remain sheltered in place.
Finally, about 12:30 am, Max texted me that they were given all clear. By this time, FBI agents were on the scene. They had concluded that there was just the one lone shooter, and he was no longer a threat.
After hiding in their dorm room for over four hours, Max and his friends could finally exhale, move the furniture away from their doors, and try to get to bed. I’m sure they were all exhausted but got very little sleep.
The next morning, the story dominated the news. There were three students dead, and five severely injured. The shooter was identified as a 43-year-old male with no direct ties to the university.
The University cancelled classes for the week, so Max was able to come home for several days. I ‘ve never been so happy to see him! Friends and family showered him with concern and support.
It’s now been a few weeks since the tragedy. Three students have been buried. Two of the injured have been upgraded to stable, and three of the victims remain in critical condition.
Police and the FBI are still looking for motives… and answers. Why did this happen? Why are so many of these tragic events happening in our country? How can we get this to stop?
In fact, we are ALL furiously searching for answers, and explanations…and most importantly, solutions. If only it were that simple.