{
  "id": "2023-02-13-michigan-state-shooting",
  "slug": "michigan-state-shooting-2023-02-13",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Michigan State University",
    "shortName": "MSU",
    "state": "MI",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "MSU Alert",
    "enrollment": 50000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2023-02-13",
    "type": "active-shooter",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Gunman killed three students at two campus buildings; five others critically injured",
    "headlinePublic": "Gunman killed three students at two campus buildings; five others critically injured",
    "summary": "A gunman [killed three students at two campus locations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Michigan_State_University_shooting). The initial alert went out 13 minutes after the first 911 call, all on-duty officers had rushed to the scene, leaving no one initially available to trigger the alert system. The SMS included a complete [Run-Hide-Fight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run,_hide,_fight) explanation defining each term.",
    "outcome": "Gunman died of self-inflicted wound off-campus approximately 3.5 hours later. Three students killed, five critically injured.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 3,
      "injured": 5
    },
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat"
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2023-02-13T20:31:00-05:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "MSU ALERT: There have been shots fired near Berkey Hall on the East Lansing campus. Please secure-in-place immediately. Police are active on scene. More information to follow.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/msupolice/status/1625308898289766400",
      "sourceDescription": "@msupolice on X (verbatim raw t.co)",
      "annotations": [
        "Sent 13 minutes after the first shots were reported at Berkey Hall at approximately 8:18 PM EST; MSU police records show a sergeant radioed an order to activate the campus lockdown alert about 2 minutes into the incident, but a non-sworn cadet staffing the police department's front desk held the alert roughly 10 minutes to confirm the order amid heavy radio traffic before it went out at approximately 8:30-8:31 PM EST -- MSU's earlier public account (that no on-duty officer remained to send the alert, requiring an off-duty officer to log in from home) was contradicted by these records, per Bridge Michigan's reporting",
        "'Secure-in-place' rather than 'shelter-in-place', MSU's preferred terminology",
        "'Police are active on scene', conveys law enforcement response is underway",
        "Specifies 'East Lansing campus', MSU has multiple locations"
      ],
      "characterCount": 175
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2023-02-13T20:31:52-05:00",
      "channel": "twitter-x",
      "verbatimText": "MSU ALERT: There have been shots fired near Berkey Hall on the East Lansing campus. Please secure-in-place immediately. Police are active on scene. More information to follow.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://x.com/msupolice/status/1625308898289766400",
      "sourceDescription": "@msupolice on X (verbatim raw t.co)",
      "annotations": [
        "Full multi-channel form of the Run-Hide-Fight instruction with Secure-in-Place opening; archive also re-sent identical text at 10:54 PM"
      ],
      "characterCount": 175
    },
    {
      "sequence": 3,
      "type": "update",
      "channel": "multi-channel",
      "timestamp": "2023-02-13T20:32:00-05:00",
      "verbatimText": "MSU Police report shots fired incident occurring on or near the East Lansing campus. Secure-in-Place immediately. Run, Hide, Fight. Run means evacuate away from danger if you can do so safely, Hide means to secure-in-place, and Fight means protect yourself if no other option. Monitor alert.msu.edu for information.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://alert.msu.edu/alert-issued-at-02-13-2023-083152-pm-est/",
      "sourceDescription": "alert.msu.edu official archive (shots fired Secure-in-Place)",
      "annotations": [
        "Full Run-Hide-Fight explanation defining each term, unusually detailed for SMS",
        "Defines 'Hide' as 'secure-in-place' rather than the standard 'hide', institutional terminology consistency",
        "Sent one minute after the initial alert as a separate message, likely reflecting character limit decisions",
        "One of the most detailed RHF explanations found in any real-world SMS alert"
      ],
      "characterCount": 315
    },
    {
      "sequence": 4,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2023-02-13T22:04:28-05:00",
      "channel": "multi-channel",
      "verbatimText": "Active Shooter 2.0 This is an MSU ALERT from the Michigan State University Police Department regarding an incident on the East Lansing campus. A person is actively shooting at the East Lansing campus. This is an active and ongoing situation. Follow the Run, Hide and Fight guidelines. Secure in place; turn cell phones to silent; remain quite. Suspect description: short male with mask, possibly black male. Contact Michigan State University Police to report any unusual or suspicious activity. Additional information to follow. Sent at 22:04:28 on 02-13-2023.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://alert.msu.edu/alert-issued-at-02-13-2023-100435-pm-est/",
      "sourceDescription": "MSU Alert official archive (verbatim)",
      "annotations": [
        "Official archive preserves the typo \"remain quite\" (quiet) and the \"Active Shooter 2.0\" subject prefix as transmitted",
        "Suspect description refined mid-incident: short male with mask, possibly black male"
      ],
      "characterCount": 560
    },
    {
      "sequence": 5,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2023-02-13T23:33:26-05:00",
      "channel": "multi-channel",
      "verbatimText": "Active Shooter This is an MSU ALERT from the Michigan State University Police Department regarding an incident on the East Lansing campus. A person is actively shooting at the East Lansing campus. Follow the Run, Hide and Fight guidelines. Secure in place; turn cell phones to silent; remain quite. Suspect description: short black male, red shoes, jean jacket, ball cap. Contact Michigan State University Police to report any unusual or suspicious activity. Additional information to follow. Sent at 23:33:26 on 02-13-2023.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://alert.msu.edu/alert-issued-at-02-13-2023-113335-pm-est/",
      "sourceDescription": "MSU Alert official archive (verbatim)",
      "annotations": [
        "Updated suspect description adds red shoes, jean jacket, ball cap; preserves \"remain quite\" typo"
      ],
      "characterCount": 524
    },
    {
      "sequence": 6,
      "type": "all-clear",
      "timestamp": "2023-02-14T00:27:35-05:00",
      "channel": "multi-channel",
      "verbatimText": "MSU Alert This is an MSU ALERT from the Michigan State University Police Department regarding an incident on the East Lansing campus. At or near City of East Lansing the Michigan State University Police report; An individual matching the suspect description has been located. There is no longer believed to be an imminent threat to campus. The shelter-in-place order is lifted. Contact Michigan State University Police to report any unusual or suspicious activity. Sent at 00:27:35 on 02-14-2023.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://alert.msu.edu/alert-issued-at-02-14-2023-122745-am-est/",
      "sourceDescription": "MSU Alert official archive (verbatim)",
      "annotations": [
        "First SIP lift after suspect matching description located; ~4 hours after initial shots"
      ],
      "characterCount": 496
    },
    {
      "sequence": 7,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2023-02-14T01:06:55-05:00",
      "channel": "multi-channel",
      "verbatimText": "MSU Alert This is an MSU ALERT from the Michigan State University Police Department regarding an incident on the East Lansing campus. There is no longer believed to be an imminent threat to campus. The shelter-in-place order is lifted. CATA will resume the 30 routes shortly. There will be an additional bus in service with a drop off point of the reunification center (MSU Pavilion @ 4301 Farm Lane) for parents and others coming to campus. Contact Michigan State University Police to report any unusual or suspicious activity. Sent at 01:06:55 on 02-14-2023.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://alert.msu.edu/alert-issued-at-02-14-2023-010705-am-est/",
      "sourceDescription": "MSU Alert official archive (verbatim)",
      "annotations": [
        "Reunification logistics: MSU Pavilion @ 4301 Farm Lane as parent drop-off; CATA route 30 resuming"
      ],
      "characterCount": 560
    }
  ],
  "context": "The [Michigan State shooting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Michigan_State_University_shooting) on February 13, 2023 killed three students ([Brian Fraser, Arielle Anderson, and Alexandria Verner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Michigan_State_University_shooting#Victims)) and critically injured five others. The gunman attacked two locations: Berkey Hall and the MSU Union. The 13-minute gap between the first shots and the first alert was initially attributed by MSU to a staffing problem: all on-duty officers immediately responded to the active scene, leaving no officer available to initiate the emergency notification system, so an off-duty officer had to log in from home to send it. [Bridge Michigan's subsequent review of MSU police records](https://bridgemi.com/talent-education/records-msu-shooting-lockdown-delayed-10-minutes-miscommunication/) contradicted that account: Sgt. Zachary Rangel radioed an order to activate the campus-wide lockdown alert roughly 2 minutes after the first shots, but the alert was held for about 10 minutes because the non-sworn police cadet staffing the department's front desk sought to confirm the order with a shift supervisor amid heavy radio traffic. MSU did not publicly reconcile the two accounts. Either way, this exposed a systemic vulnerability: the very urgency that demands rapid alerts also strains the staff and confirmation steps needed to send them. MSU's decision to send the Run-Hide-Fight explanation as a separate, spelled-out SMS was unusual; most institutions embed 'Run Hide Fight' as a three-word directive without definition. The [police timeline](https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/10/us/michigan-state-shooting-timeline-update/index.html) later revealed the shooter had a note in his pocket referencing other potential targets.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "13-minute alert delay: MSU initially said all on-duty officers were responding to the scene, but police records reviewed by Bridge Michigan later showed a sergeant ordered the lockdown alert about 2 minutes in and it was held roughly 10 minutes by a front-desk cadet confirming the order amid heavy radio traffic",
    "Full RHF explanation in SMS ('Run means evacuate away from danger...') is one of the most detailed found in real alerts",
    "'Secure-in-place' as MSU-specific terminology for the standard 'shelter-in-place'",
    "Two-location attack (Berkey Hall and MSU Union) complicated the location specificity of alerts",
    "Shooter died off-campus, extending the uncertainty and shelter period"
  ],
  "responseTimeMinutes": 13,
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "MSU Alert Archive (alert.msu.edu)",
      "url": "https://alert.msu.edu",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "Police release Michigan State University shooting timeline and troubling note found in shooter's pocket (CNN)",
      "url": "https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/10/us/michigan-state-shooting-timeline-update/index.html",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Records: MSU shooting lockdown delayed 10 minutes by miscommunication (Bridge Michigan)",
      "url": "https://bridgemi.com/talent-education/records-msu-shooting-lockdown-delayed-10-minutes-miscommunication/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "MSU police can't explain 13-minute alert gap, remain mum on shooting details (Bridge Michigan)",
      "url": "https://bridgemi.com/michigan-government/msu-police-cant-explain-13-minute-alert-gap-remain-mum-shooting-details/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "2023 Michigan State University shooting (Wikipedia)",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Michigan_State_University_shooting",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "title": "MSU Alert archive — update seq 3",
      "url": "https://alert.msu.edu/alert-issued-at-02-13-2023-100435-pm-est/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "MSU Alert archive — update seq 4",
      "url": "https://alert.msu.edu/alert-issued-at-02-13-2023-113335-pm-est/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "MSU Alert archive — all-clear seq 5",
      "url": "https://alert.msu.edu/alert-issued-at-02-14-2023-122745-am-est/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "MSU Alert archive — update seq 6",
      "url": "https://alert.msu.edu/alert-issued-at-02-14-2023-010705-am-est/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "MSU Alert archive — shots-fired RHF long form",
      "url": "https://alert.msu.edu/alert-issued-at-02-13-2023-083152-pm-est/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://x.com/msupolice/status/1625308898289766400",
      "title": "@msupolice on X",
      "type": "official-archive",
      "dateAccessed": "2026-07-18"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "active-shooter",
    "run-hide-fight",
    "alert-delay",
    "staffing-gap",
    "two-location-attack",
    "2023"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-03-31",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-18",
  "addedBy": "manual",
  "communityResponse": {
    "sentiment": "negative",
    "summary": "The MSU Alert notifications were widely criticized as delayed, vague, and inconsistent. MSU's original public explanation was that the first alert went out only after an off-duty officer logged in from home because every on-duty officer had rushed the shooter; [Bridge Michigan's later review of police records contradicted that account](https://bridgemi.com/talent-education/records-msu-shooting-lockdown-delayed-10-minutes-miscommunication/) (see context). The [\"Run, Hide, Fight\" text](https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/02/14/msu-shooting-run-hide-fight-sms/) itself drew shock from students, and one student told [Bridge Michigan](https://bridgemi.com/talent-education/michigan-state-shooting-alerts-students-delayed-police-rushed-campus/) the first official alert was already irrelevant by the time it reached his phone.",
    "quotes": [
      {
        "text": "This is not normal",
        "speaker": "MSU shooting survivor (tweet reacting to the 'Run, Hide, Fight' alert text)",
        "source": "The Washington Post",
        "sourceUrl": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/02/14/msu-shooting-run-hide-fight-sms/",
        "sourceType": "local-media",
        "isVerbatimConfirmed": false
      },
      {
        "text": "sickening that any university would have to say this to its students",
        "speaker": "Reaction on social media to the 'Run, Hide, Fight' alert text",
        "source": "The Washington Post",
        "sourceUrl": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/02/14/msu-shooting-run-hide-fight-sms/",
        "sourceType": "local-media",
        "isVerbatimConfirmed": false
      }
    ],
    "confidence": "medium"
  }
}