Ohio State Releases Statement On Michigan State Shooting
Ohio State football released a statement on Twitter Tuesday afternoon on the recent shooting at Michigan State University on Monday evening.
"Sending our thoughts, prayers and love to everyone at Michigan State University and Michigan State Football," the statement read. "We grieve with you and will support you as part of our Big Ten family."
Three Michigan State students were killed Monday evening when a gunman open fired on the campus before fleeing the scene. Five more students were shot and taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
According to state officials, all five students remain in critical care as of Tuesday morning.
State officials identified 43-year-old Anthony McRae as the attacker from Monday night's incident early Tuesday morning. McRae, who was charged with multiple gun-related crimes in 2019, fatally shot himself hours after the shooting miles away from campus.
“This truly has been a nightmare we’re living tonight,” interim deputy chief of the campus police department Chris Rozman said Monday evening.
Multiple players from the Ohio State basketball team also spoke Tuesday of the tragedy that occurred in East Lansing. Zed Key, the Buckeyes' leading rebounder, said that he was speaking with one of his friends when the shooting began.
The friend's girlfriend is currently a Michigan State student and reportedly hid in her attic to protect herself. Key said he reached out to his parents in New York just to assure them he was OK.
“You kind of think about it and it’s like, yeah, it’s probably not going to happen to us, but that’s what everyone thinks,” Key said. “It could happen. You just never know. Even my family, my dad and mom called me (Monday) and said, ‘Make sure you stay safe and watch your surroundings and continue to do what you do.’ ”
MSU police identified the three students killed as: Arielle Anderson, a junior from Grosse Pointe, Michigan; Brian Fraser, a sophomore also from Grosse Pointe; and Alexandria Verner, a junior from Clawson, Michigan.
According to MSU athletic director Alan Haller in a statement to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, all sporting events on campus will be postponed for the remainder of the week.
"The focus for the athletic department today has been the mental health and wellness of our student-athletes and staff," Haller said in a statement. "All across campus, different units are doing the same to make sure everyone is getting the resources they need."
Haller also stated that he appreciated the outcry of support from all 13 programs in the Big Ten.
"At some point in the days ahead, we will return to the field of competition," Haller stated. "For some, the games will provide a momentary escape from our shattered reality, but we must never lose sight that life has been irrevocably altered for us all. Our commitment to look after one another has never been more necessary."