At approximately 8:30 p.m. on Monday night, Michigan State Police received a call that shots had been fired on the university's northern campus. Police identified the gunman as 43-year-old Anthony Dwayne McRae, who had no known connection to Michigan State University. He was found dead after shooting eight people, three fatally, and then fatally shooting himself during a confrontation with police.

Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, who represents the area, spoke out during the news conference about the string of gun violence, calling the incident "another wake-up call to do something" about gun violence in American schools. She said, "I am filled with rage that we have to have another press conference to talk about our children being killed in our schools". The five students wounded in the shooting still remain in critical condition at the local hospital.

The incident is all too familiar for those in nearby