Healing from tragedy: How MSU moves forward after mass shooting kills three, injures five

Host Stephen Henderson spent Monday night, Feb. 13, like most other Michigan State University parents, checking on the safety of their children after a gunman entered two university buildings and began firing at people.

The tragedy began around 8:18 p.m., after which a manhunt ensued for roughly four hours before law enforcement located the gunman a few miles off campus in Lansing. Three students — Alexandria Verner of Clawson, Brian Fraser of Grosse Pointe, and Arielle Anderson of Harper Woods — were slain by the gunman, and 5 others were hospitalized. The 43-year-old gunman, Anthony Dwayne McRae, also died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound the night of the shooting. He had no affiliation with the university.

As parents, students, staff, alumni and the entire country grapple with and heal from this tragedy, Henderson sat down with Dr. Lekie Dwanyen, an assistant professor in Michigan State University’s department of human development and family studies, to hear how the MSU community is coping.

They talk about the traumatic emotions and changes people impacted by the violence may feel in the wake of this tragedy, as well as opportunities happening on campus to help students come together, heal and memorialize the victims. Plus, they talk about the frequency of mass shootings in our society and the impact that it has on younger generations.