All the victims of the shooting that took place on the 13th at Michigan State University in Michigan were identified as students.
Chris Roseman, head of the Michigan State University campus police department, said at a briefing on the 14th that all three dead and five injured were confirmed to be students at the university.
The suspect, who took his own life during a confrontation with police the night before, was a black man named Anthony McRae, 43, who was not an employee or student at the university.
“We have no idea what (the suspect’s) motive was,” Roseman said at the briefing, and that the motive was still being investigated.
The shooting, which overturned the college campus during the evening hours, added to the shock as it took place during multiple shootings that continued into the New Year, including the California Lunar New Year shooting that killed all 11 people.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said the shooting came on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting that killed 17 people the previous day.
Governor Whitmer added that he had spoken to President Joe Biden and had been promised federal support.
Meanwhile, President Biden issued a statement of condolence for the Michigan State University shooting and urged Congress to strengthen gun control, including background checks on all gun buyers and a ban on the sale of assault guns and large-capacity magazines.
“Congress must act and enact common-sense gun control laws,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of properly enforcing “red flag laws” that allow firearms to be confiscated from dangerous persons.
The Department of Justice announced today that it will provide $231 million to introduce gun violence prevention programs, including red flag laws, in 49 states and territories.