WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:05.000 We have an active shooter. We have an after square list a mass casualty 2 00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:13.240 Welcome to Active Shooter, a podcast that covers the wise, the hows, 3 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:23.879 and the aftermath of active shooter and mass casualty events. They have an active 4 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:27.839 shooter in the building. A teching call says they are vag impact of a 5 00:00:27.960 --> 00:00:32.079 shot on six nine eighties. We got shots fire at four fifteen eight at 6 00:00:32.119 --> 00:00:49.799 a route to ninety one, So I don't like automatic fire on active shooter. 7 00:00:49.920 --> 00:00:54.119 Courts of an active shooter, active shooter, active shooter and mass casualty 8 00:00:54.200 --> 00:01:02.520 incidents. Thank you for listening. You are listening to Active Shooter, a 9 00:01:02.600 --> 00:01:07.640 podcast that may contain adult themes, explicit language, and graphic depictions of violence. 10 00:01:07.239 --> 00:01:12.120 Portions of the show may be dramatic for those under eighteen. Listener discretion 11 00:01:12.599 --> 00:01:19.920 is advised. Breaking news out of Michigan with another mass shooting, this time 12 00:01:21.239 --> 00:01:26.120 at two campus buildings at Michigan State University in East Lansing. But we're getting 13 00:01:26.280 --> 00:01:30.879 reports of multiple victims are an active shooter. According to police, at least 14 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:37.280 three people are dead and five others injured. All five of those victims remain 15 00:01:37.319 --> 00:01:42.079 in critical condition. Terrify students barricading themselves and their dorm asfully searched for the 16 00:01:42.159 --> 00:01:48.159 suspect. The campus placed on lockdown. We saw people start running for their 17 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:51.599 lives, and we immediately knew, like some things off, like we got 18 00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:53.719 to get inside, like lock the house down, turn off all the lights, 19 00:01:53.719 --> 00:01:59.159 and disparricade ourselves inside. Police releasing this photo of the suspect, who 20 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:07.760 they now say is dead. That suspect is we now know is a forty 21 00:02:07.799 --> 00:02:14.960 three year old mail. That forty three year old mail is not affiliated in 22 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:22.120 any way with Michigan State University. We've arrived at a place in time where 23 00:02:22.120 --> 00:02:27.719 elementary, middle and high school students have experienced the utter horror of surviving a 24 00:02:27.719 --> 00:02:31.800 mass school shooting, only to go on to college and live through yet another 25 00:02:32.199 --> 00:02:40.680 ghastly unspeakable trauma. How does one overcome the paralyzing fear that is rapidly becoming 26 00:02:40.719 --> 00:02:47.599 associated with the very act of attending school. The youth of the country have 27 00:02:47.800 --> 00:02:55.360 lived through and survived a global pandemic, only to find themselves returning to pseudo 28 00:02:55.439 --> 00:03:02.639 war zones rather than institutions of learning. Instead of freely roaming about sprawling campuses, 29 00:03:04.360 --> 00:03:08.080 students find themselves sheltering in place, locked down for hours on end, 30 00:03:08.879 --> 00:03:16.240 frozen by the panic of whether they will survive another act of terror or if 31 00:03:16.280 --> 00:03:22.319 this will be their time. These aren't the types of decisions young minds should 32 00:03:22.360 --> 00:03:27.439 be faced with, especially not within the halls of the place they ought to 33 00:03:27.520 --> 00:03:35.080 feel the safest. The shooting at Michigan State University introduced us to several students 34 00:03:35.240 --> 00:03:39.240 who had graduated from Oxford High School, where the two thousand eighteen shooting changed 35 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:46.960 their lives forever. Those same students attended Michigan State University, where a mere 36 00:03:46.080 --> 00:03:53.159 two years later, they found themselves in the same heart pounding situation, locked 37 00:03:53.159 --> 00:04:00.719 down under the thread of a massive school shooter. Today's case is dedicated to 38 00:04:00.759 --> 00:04:06.199 the lives and memories of the five injured survivors and the three shooting victims, 39 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:18.279 Ariel Diamond Anderson, Brian Anthony Fraser, and Alexandria Werner. Active Shooter the 40 00:04:18.319 --> 00:04:23.879 podcast is a High five Holly production, and I'm your host j T. 41 00:04:27.040 --> 00:04:30.560 If you've listened to our prior episodes, you know that the Active Shooter podcast 42 00:04:30.600 --> 00:04:35.399 team has taken thee No Notoriety Pledge and we will not be sharing the real 43 00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:40.839 name to the shooters that we cover. We will be giving the shooters a 44 00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:45.759 pseudonym and refer to them by that name throughout the episode. This will help 45 00:04:45.800 --> 00:04:49.279 in clearing up any confusion in the story while remaining true to our pledge and 46 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:56.360 not naming the shooter by their actual name. We will refer to today's shooter 47 00:04:56.879 --> 00:05:13.480 as Matt. Monday, February thirteenth, twenty twenty three was a mild, 48 00:05:13.560 --> 00:05:18.040 sunny day for late winter in Michigan. The Michigan State University, which consists 49 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:24.360 of about fifty thousand students, is a busy, bustling campus that includes Burkey 50 00:05:24.399 --> 00:05:31.040 Hall and the Michigan State University or MSU Union buildings. The MSU Union Building 51 00:05:31.079 --> 00:05:35.879 is located at forty nine Abbott Road in East Lansing, Michigan, and Burkey 52 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:42.519 Hall is located at five oh six East Circle Drive in East Lansing. Burkey 53 00:05:42.519 --> 00:05:46.040 Hall is an old building made up of a red brick and stone and is 54 00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:51.360 where the majority of the social science classes are held. The building houses the 55 00:05:51.399 --> 00:05:58.079 Institute for Public Policy and Social Research, the Department of Sociology, and the 56 00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:03.040 College of Social Science. The campus was still active later in the evening at 57 00:06:03.079 --> 00:06:09.319 around eight pm, though not quite as busy as during the daytime school hours. 58 00:06:10.240 --> 00:06:14.240 Shortly after eight pm, forty three year old Matt walked across the university 59 00:06:14.279 --> 00:06:18.160 campus towards Burkey Hall. He was wearing a jean jacket, black pants, 60 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:23.839 a baseball cap, and red shoes. Much of his face was concealed by 61 00:06:23.839 --> 00:06:27.720 some type of clothing or a neck gator that was pulled up past his lips. 62 00:06:28.519 --> 00:06:31.959 He carried a Taurus G three nine millimeter handgun and a high Point C 63 00:06:32.199 --> 00:06:39.120 nine nine millimeter handgun, which he didn't actually fire. It was approximately eight 64 00:06:39.199 --> 00:06:44.959 eighteen PM when outside of Room one fourteen in Burkey Hall, Matt opened the 65 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:50.920 back door to the classroom, aimed, and fired, launching about fifteen rounds 66 00:06:50.959 --> 00:06:58.000 into the room. Right when that first got child went off. I looked 67 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:02.040 at the far corner of the class I was sitting right next to the door 68 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:06.120 where he came in, literally one of the first two seats he came in, 69 00:07:08.439 --> 00:07:11.920 and I thank god my fight or flight response kicked in because I had 70 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:15.079 booked into the far side of the class and ducked down, and he came 71 00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:23.199 in and shot three to four times in our our classroom. Marco Diaz Munaz 72 00:07:23.800 --> 00:07:28.800 was teaching in Room one fourteen when the door suddenly swung open and gunflier exploded. 73 00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:31.959 Only one minute after the initial shot rang out, the first nine one 74 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:38.639 one call was being placed reporting shots fired at Burkey Hall. Immediately, the 75 00:07:38.680 --> 00:07:46.439 phones began to light up as petrified callers reported the shooting. Hello at the 76 00:07:46.519 --> 00:07:48.360 nine one one up and there. I'm at Burkey Hall and my cock books 77 00:07:48.360 --> 00:07:54.079 got what thought? How many people? I don't know? I don't know. 78 00:07:54.160 --> 00:07:57.240 I can't how I can't help one out of a class? Where exactly 79 00:07:57.240 --> 00:08:03.399 did you hear this hallway? How many shots did you hear? Maybe? 80 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:13.560 Can is somebody's shot? Believe door shot? Who was shot? Like? 81 00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:18.160 You do you see who's shooting? Yeah? I thought it was a part 82 00:08:18.199 --> 00:08:22.920 of it. Okay, are you injured? No? Where are you? 83 00:08:24.319 --> 00:08:26.040 It's not breathing. Do you know what kind of injuries they have? Yeah? 84 00:08:26.120 --> 00:08:28.079 I don't know. But he's bleeding out a big year a mouth. 85 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:33.360 He's unconscious right now. I have no idea he's unconscious to all he's breathing 86 00:08:33.960 --> 00:08:37.240 like, oh, okay, No, I don't think it's breathing quite well? 87 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:41.720 Sha it right now? I don't know. I don't know where they 88 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:43.879 were Did you get the person? No? No, I did not. 89 00:08:45.399 --> 00:08:48.399 Are you guys able to uh push the door closed? Make sure to put 90 00:08:48.440 --> 00:08:50.240 anything up at the door for a now okay, okay, but make sure 91 00:08:50.279 --> 00:08:54.240 you got the window is covered and make sure that's just barricade the door until 92 00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:56.440 we can get some money there. Okay, what's your name? Majured at 93 00:08:56.440 --> 00:09:00.759 the chop? Okay, to take at toner that you stake by it here? 94 00:09:00.759 --> 00:09:03.000 Where are I will let you know as soon as I have any update 95 00:09:03.080 --> 00:09:05.960 from my officers. Okay, can you guys get out of the room. 96 00:09:05.080 --> 00:09:09.360 Can you get out of the window, Get out of that building and just 97 00:09:09.639 --> 00:09:15.080 run? All right? Got it? Can you do that? Yeah, 98 00:09:15.480 --> 00:09:20.080 I'm outside the window. I'm out, all right. I need you to 99 00:09:20.159 --> 00:09:24.879 run to the safety, to another building or where are we going? The 100 00:09:28.480 --> 00:09:33.399 university sent out an alert via text message and on Twitter. The message was 101 00:09:33.480 --> 00:09:41.200 simple yet utterly terrifying. It read quote active shooter, run, hide, 102 00:09:41.559 --> 00:09:48.639 fight further. A shelter and place order was issued across campus. You know, 103 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:50.799 we were scared to go by the windows. We didn't want any scene. 104 00:09:50.879 --> 00:09:52.519 We didn't want to be potentially targeted through the windows, but we had 105 00:09:52.559 --> 00:09:56.399 to shut our blinds. We had to turn off lights, and we turned 106 00:09:56.440 --> 00:09:58.879 off all the lights, and then we had to try to move everything quietly 107 00:10:00.200 --> 00:10:03.720 with our lights off and windows, clothes stores locked as much as we could 108 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:09.679 get them, and just shoving our dressers and our chairs and any other miscellaneous 109 00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:16.000 bits and bobbles we had back inside classroom one. Fourteen seven students were struck 110 00:10:16.200 --> 00:10:22.960 with flying bullets, including Ariel Anderson and Alexandria Verner, both of whom were 111 00:10:22.039 --> 00:10:28.120 fatally shot. Nineteen year old Riel Ari Anderson was born in two thousand and 112 00:10:28.159 --> 00:10:33.080 three in Harper Woods, Michigan. She attended Detroit Public Schools Community District from 113 00:10:33.120 --> 00:10:39.320 kindergarten through sixth grade before heading to middle school at Parcels. Ari graduated from 114 00:10:39.360 --> 00:10:43.919 gross Point North High School in twenty twenty one and was a sophomore at MSU 115 00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:50.120 before she was killed. A bright young woman, Ari intended to graduate early 116 00:10:50.559 --> 00:10:54.600 and then go right into medical school. She had big plans to become a 117 00:10:54.639 --> 00:10:58.159 surgeon one day and didn't want to waste a moment that could be spent working 118 00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:05.120 towards her future. Her middle school mock elections saw Ari earn the distinction of 119 00:11:05.240 --> 00:11:11.960 most likely to succeed and a success she was. Ari served as a mentor 120 00:11:11.399 --> 00:11:16.559 for many students, and she was consistently on the honor roll and student counsel. 121 00:11:18.360 --> 00:11:22.279 Her family says she was friends with everyone and her smile could brighten up 122 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:28.559 any one's day. Known for her perpetual smile, Ari genuinely cared for others, 123 00:11:28.039 --> 00:11:31.840 as evidenced by her dedication to caring for her aunt with special needs. 124 00:11:33.039 --> 00:11:37.519 A lover of all things music, Ari was an avid concert grower and her 125 00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:43.840 favorite artist was Ariana Grande, whose music she could dance to all day long. 126 00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:48.559 Her mother says Ari was her best friend and the last thing her daughter 127 00:11:48.679 --> 00:11:54.399 texted to her was a joke, which was just her way. She loved 128 00:11:54.440 --> 00:11:58.600 to make others laugh, and her mom struggles each and every day trying to 129 00:11:58.759 --> 00:12:05.080 learn how to live without her daughter her minime. Such an intense great loss 130 00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:11.559 is something that no parent should ever have to live with. Twenty year old 131 00:12:11.600 --> 00:12:16.279 Alexandria Verner, also known as Alex, was born on August seventeenth, two 132 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:20.000 thousand and two, to Tedan Nancy Verner. She was raised in claus In, 133 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:24.360 Michigan, with her siblings, including brother t J. And sister Charlotte. 134 00:12:24.279 --> 00:12:28.399 Described as a warm, caring friend, Alex was usually the first to 135 00:12:28.440 --> 00:12:33.159 stick up for someone in need. She attended claus In High School, graduating 136 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:37.639 in twenty twenty, and was an athlete who excelled in three sports. She 137 00:12:37.759 --> 00:12:43.840 played volleyball, was All state in softball, and was the league MVP in 138 00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:50.000 basketball and helped lead her team to a few championships. However, Alex wasn't 139 00:12:50.200 --> 00:12:54.279 just an athlete. She was a wonderful student who was on the National Honor 140 00:12:54.399 --> 00:13:01.159 Society and the Student Leadership Council during high school. She worked hard, studied 141 00:13:01.240 --> 00:13:05.279 hard, and took her education seriously, even earning straight a's in college. 142 00:13:07.080 --> 00:13:11.039 Alex was a junior at MSU and dreamed of working in forensic science one day. 143 00:13:11.879 --> 00:13:16.000 The incredibly popular young woman was remembered during a visual that was held at 144 00:13:16.039 --> 00:13:20.840 claus In High School on February fourteenth. Her school sports jerseys, including her 145 00:13:20.919 --> 00:13:24.720 number ten softball jersey and her number twenty four basketball jersey, were there. 146 00:13:26.840 --> 00:13:48.600 Alex will forever be remembered for her generous spirit and caring nature. Students and 147 00:13:48.679 --> 00:13:54.840 Professor Diaz Munos's room, which were the first attacked, made attempts to escape 148 00:13:54.879 --> 00:14:00.080 through the windows that had been busted out, while others stayed behind try to 149 00:14:00.200 --> 00:14:05.440 provide aid to their injured classmates. Students later recounted the panic mixed with the 150 00:14:05.559 --> 00:14:13.440 screaming and so so much blood. Some students, who were barely children became 151 00:14:13.480 --> 00:14:18.639 adults in an instant after looking directly into the face of evil. The students 152 00:14:18.679 --> 00:14:22.039 in Room one fourteen were heroes in their own right, providing life saving support 153 00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:30.919 to their classmates, including making tourniquets out of belts. After shooting up Room 154 00:14:30.960 --> 00:14:35.360 one fourteen, Matt walked towards the Union building, which was about a five 155 00:14:35.399 --> 00:14:39.600 minute walk across campus, though running on pure adrenaline likely got him there a 156 00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:45.720 bit quicker. As he approached the union, Matt saw Brian Fraser, and 157 00:14:45.879 --> 00:14:52.559 without a word or hesitation, he raised the firearm and shot, killing the 158 00:14:52.639 --> 00:14:56.039 twenty year old student. Brian was born in Detroit, Michigan, on October 159 00:14:56.080 --> 00:15:00.759 eighteenth, two thousand and two, to parents Sean and Mia Phrase. He 160 00:15:00.919 --> 00:15:05.639 grew up in gross Pointe Park with a sister named Michaela, and attended Saint 161 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:09.799 Paul on the Lake Catholic School as well as gross Point South High School. 162 00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:15.559 An athlete in high school, Brian competed on both the swimming and diving teams 163 00:15:15.799 --> 00:15:20.480 at gross Point High and the Country Club of Detroit. He was a sophomore 164 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:24.799 studying business at MSU when he was murdered. Brian was also serving as president 165 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:31.120 of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and was considered an all around great student who 166 00:15:31.240 --> 00:15:35.480 was recognized as a leader in the community. He was very active in a 167 00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:39.559 compassionate, caring young man. Brian loved spending time with friends and family, 168 00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:45.360 especially if he could make them laugh, which he often did. Brian will 169 00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:50.360 be remembered for many things, but most especially his piercing blue eyes and kind 170 00:15:50.519 --> 00:15:54.039 smile. He lived life to the fullest and did his best to encourage the 171 00:15:54.159 --> 00:16:02.240 others along their paths in true Brian fashion. His organs were donated to those 172 00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:07.159 in need, and his generous spirit will live on within those his precious gifts 173 00:16:07.240 --> 00:16:11.240 have saved. A go fund me was established and helped raise over thirty two 174 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:21.039 thousand dollars. After he shot Brian, Matt walked towards the north side of 175 00:16:21.080 --> 00:16:23.759 the Union building, which is near the border of the campus property. As 176 00:16:23.840 --> 00:16:29.919 such, nearby residents were ordered to shelter in place. Tenants in an apartment 177 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:34.519 building located close to the Union building heard gunshots, and as residents peered out 178 00:16:34.600 --> 00:16:40.519 of their windows, they were confronted by the bone chilling sighte of police officers 179 00:16:40.639 --> 00:16:47.000 running towards the gun blasts. Moments later, those same tenants received an email 180 00:16:47.120 --> 00:16:52.960 from the university ordering them to seek shelter immediately. Because most of the tenants 181 00:16:53.000 --> 00:16:57.159 had practiced active shooter drills, they were well versed in what steps to take, 182 00:16:57.679 --> 00:17:03.000 and they all jumped right into the action, lowering blinds on the window, 183 00:17:03.360 --> 00:17:07.200 barricading their doors, and turning lights off. Several residents hid in their 184 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:12.079 apartments until they were given the all clear signal. You know, we were 185 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:15.319 scared to go by the windows. We didn't want any scene. We didn't 186 00:17:15.359 --> 00:17:18.079 want to be potentially targeted through the windows. But we had to shut our 187 00:17:18.119 --> 00:17:19.799 blinds, we had to turn off lights, and we turned off all the 188 00:17:19.880 --> 00:17:23.799 lights, and then we had to try to move everything quietly with our lights 189 00:17:23.880 --> 00:17:29.240 off and windows closed, doors locked as much as we could get them, 190 00:17:29.480 --> 00:17:34.480 and just shoving our dressers and our chairs and any other miscellaneous bits and bobbles 191 00:17:34.519 --> 00:17:41.920 we had. The law enforcement response was immense. Hundreds of officers from local, 192 00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:47.640 state, and federal agencies responded, along with approximately thirty fire trucks, 193 00:17:48.039 --> 00:17:52.599 ambulances and the other emergency response vehicles, which were parked along Grand River Avenue 194 00:17:53.119 --> 00:18:00.480 alongside the Eli and Edith Broad Art Museum in downtown East Lansing. At nine 195 00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:03.359 fourteen pm, a surveillance camera captured an image of a man described as the 196 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:08.200 shooter. The man was walking down an alleyway, and moments later, SWAT 197 00:18:08.279 --> 00:18:14.720 vehicles and police raced down an adjacent street, passing the man. They doubled 198 00:18:14.759 --> 00:18:18.880 back, and by nine sixteen pm, university police paged over the radio that 199 00:18:19.000 --> 00:18:25.480 the suspect was believed to be on foot, fleeing and shooting. Thousands or 200 00:18:25.599 --> 00:18:30.160 possibly more students were glued to their police scanners, desperate for any tidbit of 201 00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:33.799 information. Fear and panic was at an all time high as students texted family 202 00:18:33.880 --> 00:18:38.480 and friends, unsure if it would be the last communication they would ever send. 203 00:18:40.680 --> 00:18:44.759 Just before nine thirty pm, the university texted students that another shooting was 204 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:48.359 reported at i AM East, which is a student gym located over a mile 205 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:52.480 from the Union building. Minutes later, the report was followed up by another 206 00:18:52.599 --> 00:18:57.279 report that the gym was secured and no shots had been fired at i AM 207 00:18:57.400 --> 00:19:03.240 East. At about eleven p m. The campus police held their first press 208 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:08.240 conference, saying they believed there was a lone shooter and released photographs of the 209 00:19:08.359 --> 00:19:15.279 alleged shooter. All campus activities were canceled for the upcoming forty eight hours and 210 00:19:15.400 --> 00:19:19.880 people were ordered to avoid the campus until the shooter was located, which didn't 211 00:19:19.920 --> 00:19:26.440 take long. At eleven thirty five p m, Matt was found off campus 212 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:32.319 and confronted by police. He wasn't going to be arrested, though, Matt 213 00:19:32.440 --> 00:19:37.480 carried out his final act of terror by raising the gun one final time, 214 00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:42.960 and he shot himself. Inside Matt's front pocket, a note was found, 215 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:48.079 and the notes seemed to indicate that Matt planned possible shootings at two other schools 216 00:19:48.160 --> 00:19:52.759 in Ewing, New Jersey, which is where Matt still had family living. 217 00:19:53.079 --> 00:19:59.839 Also located on his person in addition to the note and two firearms were eight 218 00:20:00.160 --> 00:20:07.279 or nine loaded magazines and fifty rounds of loose ammunition. All local public schools 219 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:11.559 located near the MSU campus were closed the following day out of an abundance of 220 00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:18.519 caution, although the shelter in place order was officially lifted at twelve thirty am 221 00:20:18.680 --> 00:20:25.240 on Tuesday, February fourteenth. Almost immediately, worried and concerned parents began pouring 222 00:20:25.359 --> 00:20:29.839 onto the campus, desperate to get their child as far from the scene as 223 00:20:29.920 --> 00:20:34.319 possible. Even students who lived hours away were fleeing from the campus. By 224 00:20:34.400 --> 00:20:41.759 early the following morning, Employees from the Sparrow Hospital located near the university rushed 225 00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:47.559 to the scene to provide whatever assistance could be used. Several of the employees 226 00:20:47.680 --> 00:20:52.079 weren't even scheduled to work, They just felt compelled to rush to save lives 227 00:20:52.720 --> 00:20:56.960 no matter the circumstance. There were so many volunteers that some had to be 228 00:20:57.039 --> 00:21:03.200 turned away. I've injured students were rushed to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, and 229 00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:10.079 four of the five required immediate surgery. One victim was rushed to the ICU. 230 00:21:11.039 --> 00:21:17.200 Although all five were listed as being in critical condition. By February twenty 231 00:21:17.279 --> 00:21:22.680 first, one of the victims was upgraded from critical to stable condition, while 232 00:21:22.799 --> 00:21:30.200 two others were upgraded to serious from critical. The injured students included Guadalupe Huapierre 233 00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:37.000 Perez, a junior from Immacaali, Florida, two Chinese international students, including 234 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:42.079 John Howe, who is currently paralyzed from the chest down. Nate Statley and 235 00:21:42.200 --> 00:21:48.359 Troy four Bush. Nate Statley was from Heartland, Michigan, and his family 236 00:21:48.440 --> 00:21:52.240 released a statement on February twenty seventh stating that Nate remained in critical condition in 237 00:21:52.319 --> 00:22:00.240 the Nearrow ICU suffering from a severe head trauma. The family released another date 238 00:22:00.279 --> 00:22:06.200 on March fourteenth, saying there was very little progress and few developments. On 239 00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:10.960 April twenty sixth, Nate celebrated his twenty first birthday, which was about three 240 00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:15.119 weeks after he was discharged from Sparrow Hospital and transferred to another facility for ongoing 241 00:22:15.559 --> 00:22:21.240 long term care. A go fund Me was established for Nate and has raised 242 00:22:21.279 --> 00:22:26.119 over three hundred thousand dollars at the time of this writing. On February twenty 243 00:22:26.200 --> 00:22:30.160 third, injured student Troy four Bush was released from the hospital. Two other 244 00:22:30.319 --> 00:22:37.440 injured students were released on March third, twenty twenty three. Michigan State University 245 00:22:37.640 --> 00:22:41.400 has indicated that the school will be covering the cost of all medical care for 246 00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:47.440 each of the injured students, a burden that has surely helped relieve these families. 247 00:23:07.680 --> 00:23:11.119 Matt was born in Bare Delaware on June tenth nineteen seventy nine, but 248 00:23:11.319 --> 00:23:15.640 was raised in Trenton, New Jersey, until two thousand and three, when 249 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:18.920 he moved to Lansing, Michigan with his parents. The family was religious, 250 00:23:18.960 --> 00:23:23.880 and Matt regularly attended church growing up. At the time of the shooting, 251 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:27.640 he was living at home with his dad in a small red house at the 252 00:23:27.759 --> 00:23:33.559 dead end of a residential street. There was a chain link gait in front 253 00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:40.079 of the driveway bearing signs that read no parking and Beware of dog, and 254 00:23:40.160 --> 00:23:45.240 the yard was overgrown with trash and other miscellaneous items strewn about. Matt's father 255 00:23:45.359 --> 00:23:49.000 said that he raised his son Wright, musing that he was a great kid 256 00:23:49.480 --> 00:23:55.079 who must have been influenced by the devil. It was the only reason he 257 00:23:55.119 --> 00:24:00.400 could fathom why his child would commit such a heinous act. The morning of 258 00:24:00.440 --> 00:24:04.880 the shooting, Matt briefly spoke with his dad, albeit through a closed bedroom 259 00:24:04.920 --> 00:24:08.680 door, and said he'd be out looking for a job that day, and 260 00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:15.119 that was the extent of their conversation. The last time Matt's dad physically laid 261 00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:19.079 eyes on his son was the day before, when his dad made spaghetti for 262 00:24:19.119 --> 00:24:25.000 dinner. Matt was actually in a good mood that day and even mentioned to 263 00:24:25.079 --> 00:24:30.079 his dad that they should go fishing sometime soon. Matt's dad expressed his desire 264 00:24:30.160 --> 00:24:34.559 for Matt to begin attending church services regularly, although it's unclear precisely how that 265 00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:44.000 part of the conversation ended. On September thirteenth, twenty twenty, Matt's mom 266 00:24:44.079 --> 00:24:48.720 passed away after suffering a massive stroke. After her death, Matt began to 267 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:55.000 withdraw from the world and became something of a recluse. His dad describes Matt 268 00:24:55.160 --> 00:25:00.880 as having gone into his own world after losing his mother and struggling to accept 269 00:25:00.960 --> 00:25:04.680 the reality of her loss. Matt stopped going to work and took to spending 270 00:25:04.759 --> 00:25:11.519 hours on end in his bedroom playing arcade games. Matt refused to allow his 271 00:25:11.599 --> 00:25:14.599 father into the room, and the only time he seemed to come out was 272 00:25:14.680 --> 00:25:18.039 to get something from the kitchen or to use the bathroom. Around the same 273 00:25:18.119 --> 00:25:22.359 time Matt lost his mother, he broke up with his girlfriend, and he 274 00:25:22.440 --> 00:25:27.440 probably very much felt like his entire world had imploded. An uncle suggested that 275 00:25:27.519 --> 00:25:33.720 perhaps Matt was schizophrenic, though he hadn't ever been formally diagnosed as such. 276 00:25:33.680 --> 00:25:40.160 Matt's father vehemently denied the claim saying his son wasn't crazy, which is precisely 277 00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:44.880 the type of attitude that may prevent someone with mental illness from seeking or maintaining 278 00:25:45.319 --> 00:25:52.039 the proper treatment. That type of thinking perpetuates the stigma surrounding mental illness and 279 00:25:52.200 --> 00:25:59.559 is incredibly dangerous. Despite his refusal to acknowledge that his son may have serious 280 00:25:59.599 --> 00:26:03.160 issues, Matt's father did admit that his son was grappling with his anger and 281 00:26:03.279 --> 00:26:11.319 how to express himself without immediately becoming furious. His temper was quickly becoming hard 282 00:26:11.359 --> 00:26:17.160 to ignore, and indeed, his father later stated that Matt started to get 283 00:26:17.240 --> 00:26:23.039 evil and mean, and he didn't care about anything anymore. Matt was no 284 00:26:23.240 --> 00:26:27.880 stranger to law enforcement. He'd had plenty of police contacts over the years. 285 00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:33.480 Between two thousand and six and two thousand eight, Matt had faced four separate 286 00:26:33.559 --> 00:26:37.039 charges of driving on a suspended license, all of which occurred in Lancing Proper 287 00:26:37.440 --> 00:26:42.160 or within Eaton County. He had enough driving offenses that Matt actually lost his 288 00:26:42.279 --> 00:26:49.119 driver's license privileges years before the shooting. Lansing is a pretty walkable city with 289 00:26:49.279 --> 00:26:53.480 plenty of public transportation, so the lack of license didn't prevent Matt from doing 290 00:26:53.559 --> 00:27:00.279 most anything he wanted. On June ninth, two, nineteen, Matt was 291 00:27:00.359 --> 00:27:03.640 questioned by the Lansing Police Department after he was spotted near an abandoned building at 292 00:27:03.720 --> 00:27:11.240 one thirty am. He was departing what was presumably a convenience store. Matt 293 00:27:11.359 --> 00:27:15.480 was sitting on the back steps of the abandoned building smoking a cigarette when he 294 00:27:15.640 --> 00:27:19.759 was approached by the LPD officer. There had recently been a string of burglaries 295 00:27:19.799 --> 00:27:22.799 in the area, so the officers stopped to ask the young man a few 296 00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:27.440 questions. He asked Matt if he had any weapons, to which Matt replied 297 00:27:27.519 --> 00:27:32.119 that he did and further admitted that he didn't have a permit to carry a 298 00:27:32.200 --> 00:27:36.880 concealed weapon. The officer asked to pat him down, and Matt agreed. 299 00:27:37.880 --> 00:27:41.160 The officer located a semi automatic pistol in Matt's pants pocket, along with a 300 00:27:41.240 --> 00:27:47.240 magazine for the gun in his front shirt pocket. He explained to the officer 301 00:27:47.359 --> 00:27:49.759 that he just walked to the store to purchase cigarettes, and that in an 302 00:27:49.759 --> 00:27:56.000 effort to ensure his own safety, he carried the firearm as protection, though 303 00:27:56.480 --> 00:28:00.839 either didn't or couldn't explain why if he was so concerned about his safety he 304 00:28:00.920 --> 00:28:04.680 would stop at an abandoned building for a smoke when he simply could have returned 305 00:28:04.680 --> 00:28:11.440 to the safety of his own home. Matt was arrested and eventually pled guilty 306 00:28:11.559 --> 00:28:15.599 to a lesser charge possession of a loaded gun in a vehicle, which is 307 00:28:15.640 --> 00:28:19.279 a misdemeanor in Ingham County, where the offense occurred. The felony he was 308 00:28:19.400 --> 00:28:26.519 charged with carrying a concealed weapon was dismissed. Matt never served any jail time 309 00:28:26.599 --> 00:28:30.880 for the offense and was sentenced on October twenty fourth, twenty nineteen, to 310 00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:37.240 twelve months probation. His probation was amended in October of twenty twenty and then 311 00:28:37.279 --> 00:28:41.559 again in April of twenty twenty one. The reason for the amendment is that 312 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:45.680 Matt needed additional time to complete the terms and conditions of his probation, which 313 00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:52.480 included attending and completing cognitive based therapy and time for paying off his court costs 314 00:28:52.559 --> 00:28:57.640 and fines. On May fourteenth, twenty twenty one, Matt was discharged from 315 00:28:57.680 --> 00:29:03.559 probation. During the probation period, he never failed a drug screen or had 316 00:29:03.559 --> 00:29:07.359 any other issues that would cause a violation, despite being a model probationer. 317 00:29:07.880 --> 00:29:14.200 He had no other violent criminal history. The light sentence would later prove to 318 00:29:14.279 --> 00:29:18.720 be problematic. You see, had Matt been convicted of the more serious charge, 319 00:29:19.279 --> 00:29:25.039 he would have been prohibited from possessing a firearm. After the arrest in 320 00:29:25.160 --> 00:29:27.960 twenty nineteen, Matt lied to his dad about having a gun in the house 321 00:29:29.599 --> 00:29:33.920 and about shooting said gun in the backyard. His dad claims that he was 322 00:29:33.960 --> 00:29:38.160 aware Matt purchased a gun sometime after he was arrested, but he wouldn't show 323 00:29:38.240 --> 00:29:42.759 the weapon to his father and claimed it wasn't brought into the house. On 324 00:29:42.960 --> 00:29:48.200 one occasion, Matt was shooting the gun outside in the backyard, and when 325 00:29:48.279 --> 00:29:52.240 asked about it later, he told his father that he was just lighting on 326 00:29:52.279 --> 00:29:57.279 the firecrackers, even though bullet casings were clearly visible in the backyard. He 327 00:29:57.359 --> 00:30:02.640 allegedly told Matt to get rid of the gun, but Matt continued to lie 328 00:30:02.720 --> 00:30:07.359 about having done so. Whether his father was naive or simply chose to believe 329 00:30:07.480 --> 00:30:12.920 his son's lies, we may never know. Matt had at least one sister, 330 00:30:14.240 --> 00:30:18.279 and she reportedly was beyond shocked that her sibling could cause so much harm. 331 00:30:19.559 --> 00:30:23.839 She truly didn't believe he was capable of that level of violence, though 332 00:30:23.880 --> 00:30:30.440 his actions clearly showed otherwise. Matt's sister helped to shed some light on his 333 00:30:30.559 --> 00:30:36.400 past, and while it certainly cannot explain away or condone his actions, it 334 00:30:36.559 --> 00:30:41.319 may help to explain who Matt was. She claimed that Matt was frequently at 335 00:30:41.400 --> 00:30:45.640 odds with their parents and had been detached from having any type of social interaction. 336 00:30:47.640 --> 00:30:51.640 She continued to explain that their home life was free from violence and was 337 00:30:51.839 --> 00:30:56.480 rather affectionate. However, she also admitted that her brother frequently had outbursts of 338 00:30:56.519 --> 00:31:03.960 anger, particularly towards their mother. After her death, Matt often expressed great 339 00:31:03.039 --> 00:31:07.759 regret for the treatment of his mother, and he deeply struggled with self forgiveness. 340 00:31:11.279 --> 00:31:15.960 His sister said that Matt became despondent and started drifting quite literally from one 341 00:31:17.039 --> 00:31:22.319 state to another, living a transient lifestyle in and out of shelters, and 342 00:31:22.400 --> 00:31:26.920 the last time she had even laid eyes on her brother was at their mom's 343 00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:30.720 funeral in twenty twenty, and as such she really hadn't understood the depth of 344 00:31:30.839 --> 00:31:36.799 her brother's issues. For his part, Matt's dad reported that his son later 345 00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:44.319 became solitary, bitter, end evil, angry. He stopped caring about his 346 00:31:44.440 --> 00:31:48.960 appearance and neglected his personal hygiene to the point that some of his teeth began 347 00:31:48.039 --> 00:31:52.799 falling out, and he even quit cutting his hair. Matt had few, 348 00:31:53.400 --> 00:31:57.519 if any friends, and even since the shooting, no one has come forward 349 00:31:57.559 --> 00:32:02.680 to claim to have knowledge of or any ties to him. His neighbors didn't 350 00:32:02.720 --> 00:32:07.640 know him, he rarely spoke with any of them. He seemed to carry 351 00:32:07.640 --> 00:32:10.680 a grudge against a number of different businesses, as evidenced by the list he 352 00:32:10.799 --> 00:32:15.279 carried in his pocket, which detailed the places where Matt felt that he'd been 353 00:32:15.359 --> 00:32:22.279 done wrong or decided some infraction existed, and those businesses appeared to be some 354 00:32:22.440 --> 00:32:27.480 kind of target. Because of his lack of a driver's license, Matt mainly 355 00:32:27.599 --> 00:32:31.319 rode a bicycle everywhere. An employee at a nearby convenience store said Matt showed 356 00:32:31.359 --> 00:32:37.240 up every week to buy cigarettes but never said a word during the transaction. 357 00:32:37.400 --> 00:32:42.599 His unhappiness was palpable, and his dad would later say that he encouraged his 358 00:32:42.640 --> 00:32:45.920 son to get help, but he would just reply, I'm okay, Dad. 359 00:32:47.440 --> 00:32:52.759 He clearly wasn't okay and was equally as clearly unwilling to do anything about 360 00:32:52.799 --> 00:32:59.960 it. Matt had been working a warehouse job about six months prior to the 361 00:33:00.119 --> 00:33:05.319 shooting, but he simply stopped going into work one day and was subsequently fired. 362 00:33:06.240 --> 00:33:09.680 He worked at the warehouse loading refrigerators into trucks for at least seven years 363 00:33:09.799 --> 00:33:15.400 before he stopped going in. He'd be an in and out of various odd 364 00:33:15.480 --> 00:33:22.480 jobs since then, but nothing that's stuck. It's unclear whether anyone was worried 365 00:33:22.880 --> 00:33:29.599 or concerned about a long standing employee who went through some pretty heavy life changes 366 00:33:29.680 --> 00:33:35.160 before suddenly ghosting the job he worked at for so many years. It seems 367 00:33:35.200 --> 00:33:40.119 like red flag behavior that someone might think to look into. Both of the 368 00:33:40.160 --> 00:33:45.119 weapons that Matt used were legally purchased, and he'd passed all of the required 369 00:33:45.160 --> 00:33:53.440 background checks. After the shooting, Matt's father reported that approximately thirty officers raided 370 00:33:53.519 --> 00:33:59.920 his home, tearing it apart as they searched for evidence. A two page 371 00:34:00.160 --> 00:34:02.960 note was located inside of Matt's wallet, and the contents of the note contained 372 00:34:04.000 --> 00:34:07.880 threats of violence at a number of different locations, and Matt claimed to be 373 00:34:08.000 --> 00:34:19.440 working with twenty accomplices, which was later proven to be patently false. We 374 00:34:19.599 --> 00:34:27.400 can confirm that the shooter had two handguns on his person when he was located. 375 00:34:27.679 --> 00:34:35.159 He also had additional magazines and ammunition on his person. Our investigative team 376 00:34:35.559 --> 00:34:42.599 did work with our federal ATF partners to trace those weapons and we have learned 377 00:34:42.639 --> 00:34:46.960 that they were purchased legally by the shooter, but they were not registered. 378 00:34:47.360 --> 00:34:59.840 We can also confirm that a note was found on the shooter. The Mischi 379 00:35:00.039 --> 00:35:04.960 In State University Union Building reopened on April third. However, the union's food 380 00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:09.760 court will remain closed. It was noted that the MSU Union is an essential 381 00:35:09.840 --> 00:35:15.440 resource for the community. The first floor lounges, the mini market, and 382 00:35:15.559 --> 00:35:20.000 computer labs were all reopened inside of the union, and therapy dogs were brought 383 00:35:20.079 --> 00:35:24.400 in the day of the reopening. No classes were held in the MSU Union 384 00:35:24.480 --> 00:35:29.239 Building for the balance of the school year, and Burkey Hall was also closed 385 00:35:29.280 --> 00:35:35.239 for the twenty twenty three school year. Classrooms and offices inside Burkey Hall were 386 00:35:35.320 --> 00:35:39.119 relocated and two weeks after the shooting, the university announced that new safety measures 387 00:35:39.119 --> 00:35:45.000 were to be implemented in the coming weeks, including more security cameras, stricter 388 00:35:45.159 --> 00:35:51.039 keycard access, and more door locks that were added to thirteen hundred classrooms across 389 00:35:51.119 --> 00:35:58.800 the campus. Just as a special note, the Active Shooter Podcast is rapidly 390 00:35:58.920 --> 00:36:05.760 approaching a May your milestone for any podcast our one hundredth episode. With that 391 00:36:05.920 --> 00:36:08.440 in mind, our next case will be the shooting at the Paulse Nightclub, 392 00:36:09.320 --> 00:36:15.480 which will be a three part series that brings us into the one hundredth episode. 393 00:36:15.559 --> 00:36:22.400 We sincerely thank and appreciate each and every listener. We all have the 394 00:36:22.559 --> 00:36:28.000 unique ability to help prevent such a catastrophic event from happening if we keep our 395 00:36:28.079 --> 00:36:34.679 eyes and ears open and never hesitate to report when something or someone just doesn't 396 00:36:34.679 --> 00:36:39.559 seem right. With the delicate balance of mental health reform, education, active 397 00:36:39.599 --> 00:36:45.079 shooter training, and common sense gun laws, we may one day realize the 398 00:36:45.199 --> 00:36:51.159 dream, the dream that there will be no more active shootings. We pray 399 00:36:51.239 --> 00:36:55.800 that love will prevail over hate. In the meantime, we urge our listeners 400 00:36:55.880 --> 00:37:00.239 to stay aware of your surroundings and keep in touch with your loved ones. 401 00:37:01.159 --> 00:37:07.119 If you see something, say something, you never know how many lives you'll 402 00:37:07.119 --> 00:37:20.519 be saving. Thank you for listening to today's episode of Active Shooter the podcast. 403 00:37:21.159 --> 00:37:25.760 Remember if you see something, Say something. There's no telling how many 404 00:37:25.880 --> 00:37:30.159 lives you may be saving. A big thank you to Darren Curtis, who 405 00:37:30.239 --> 00:37:35.800 composed some of the songs on our show. You can find him online at 406 00:37:36.000 --> 00:37:42.320 www dot Darren Curtis music dot com. Make sure to check us out on 407 00:37:42.440 --> 00:37:46.559 social media. You can find us on Facebook at Active Shooter the Podcast and 408 00:37:47.159 --> 00:37:52.320 on Twitter at podcast Active. Thank you and be safe.