Students Describe Confusion, Fear During Hours-Long Manhunt

Matt Ritter and Cole Allen, both 20, were in their Shaw Hall dorm room when the shooting started at Berkey Hall and The Union building Monday night on the campus of Michigan State University.

The sophomore roommates from Traverse City told their story to ELi while paying their respects Tuesday at The Rock, just behind Shaw Hall. The Rock had been painted with the words “How Many More?” in big letters with “Stay Safe MSU” smaller below and visited by mourners throughout the day.

Allen said he knew something was happening due to the large police presence. He found out there was a shooting through social media and by texting friends.

The roommates turned off their lights and started listening to a police scanner to get a sense of what was happening. 

“A few minutes into listening to the police scanner, we heard something about East Shaw,” Allen said. “Immediately after that, we barricaded our door with our dresser and locked our door.”

There were never shots fired in Shaw Hall. However, conflicting and often incorrect reports circulated on the scanner. This led to many false statements on social media and in group text messages. 

Allen and Ritter struggled to figure out what was happening.

“There were people taking videos of the police, believing them to be the shooters,” Ritter said. ”There were false photos of people believed to be the shooter going around, and just a lot of misinformation about what was actually happening. We were hearing those reports coming through the police scanner… we didn’t know what to believe. We didn’t know if there was more than one shooter, if they were all over campus, whether there was a bomb threat or not.”

“We were really scared for our lives,” Allen said. 

Ritter said he has family members who have worked in law enforcement texting with him and warning that police would be sifting through many false reports as frightened students misconstrued things they saw on campus. Still, as reports came in, the two did not know if they or their friends were at risk. 

“As you listen to the police radio more and more, you just heard all these reports of all the buildings we all knew so well,” Allen said. “There were [reports] in Owen and Akers and McDonnell, and all those places I have friends. Immediately, you’d hear it on the radio and you’d text your friend and be like ‘Hey, have you heard anything, have you heard shots?’”

Allen said he was texting his parents all the information he heard without knowing if it was correct or not. He also called them to tell them he loved them, just in case the gunman reached their dorm or the bomb threat was real. 

He eventually posted on social media letting loved ones know he was safe. He now thinks about the three MSU students who died and the five in critical condition at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing. They were receiving the same messages and could not respond. 

The three deceased MSU students have been identified as Arielle Anderson, junior, Grosse Pointe; Brian Fraser, sophomore, Grosse Pointe; and Alexandria Verner, junior, Clawson.

Allen said he and Ritter did not have contact with their Shaw Hall Resident Assistant or police throughout the night. They listened to the scanner and watched the news until they heard the gunman had died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 

Now, the two are left wondering what could have been. Allen mentions buildings near the shooting he had visited earlier on Monday. He also said the two often eat dinner at The Union, but decided to go to a different dining hall last night. 

“It’s just so scary that just one change in our night and we could have been in a situation like that,” Allen said. 

“It could have been any of us,” Ritter added. “We’ve probably passed the victims going to class.”

Despite the scary night, both students complimented law enforcement for responding to so many reports during the night, and said they feel safe on campus. Still, life at MSU will not be the same going forward. 

“We’re not going to let this shake what we’ve been working towards,” Ritter said. “[However,] we can’t just go about our routines for the rest of the semester acting like this didn’t happen… We can’t just go and study in The Union and act like people didn’t die here.”

Ritter said he thinks Michigan State is as secure as a school can get and called on legislative changes to address gun violence. 

Editor’s note: “A Vigil at the Rock” event is scheduled for 6 p.m. today at The Rock on Farm Lane. The event is meant to honor and remember the victims and recognize the first responders for their heroic efforts. At 7 p.m. today, The Peoples Church is hosting an interfaith service for the community.