FROM MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS. JACQUELINE FRANCIS LOCAL 4. JACQUELINE. IT’S JUST
ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. ALRIGHT WE
ARE GOING TO SPEND JUST A LITTLE
BIT OF TIME FOCUSING ON THE
SHOOTER. IN THIS CASE HE’S BEEN
IDENTIFIED TO US NOW, AS ANTHONY
MCCRAY. HE APPARENTLY STARTED
THE SHOOTING SPREE AT BERKEY
HALL, THEN MOVED TO THE BUILDING
BEHIND ME HERE AT THE AT THE
STUDENT UNION BEFORE LEAVING
CAMPUS AND TURNING THE GUN ON
HIMSELF JUST A FEW MILES OFF OF
CAMPUS. FROM WHERE WE’RE
STANDING RIGHT HERE. WE’VE
DECIDED NOT TO AIR ANY IMAGES OF
MCRAE OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE
VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES. BUT
THERE IS SOME IMPORTANT
INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE LEARNED
ABOUT THE SHOOTER, KIMBERLY YEAH
, DEVIN SCILLIAN ABOUT THAT
SHOOTER. YOU MENTIONED HIS NAME
. ANTHONY DWAYNE MCRAE. KAREN
YOU’VE BEEN WORKING SINCE EARLY
THIS MORNING TO TRY TO GET
ANSWERS. YOU TOLD US AT FIVE
O’CLOCK NOW THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
IS WEIGHING IN ON THIS AND THIS
IS VERY IMPORTANT TO NOTE AS WE
FIRST BROKE ON LOCAL 4 NEWS AT
SIX. A.M. ANTHONY MCCRAY DID
HAVE A GUN CRIME CONVICTION THAT
WAS BACK IN 2019. SO THE
QUESTION IS IF HE WAS CONVICTED
OF A FELONY, OR I SHOULD SAY HE
WAS CHARGED WITH A FELONY. IT
WAS PLED DOWN TO A MISDEMEANOR,
BUT IT LEAVES YOU WONDERING IF
IT WOULD BE ILLEGAL FOR HIM TO
BE IN POSSESSION OF A GUN
YESTERDAY. WELL, ATTORNEY
GENERAL DANA NESSEL WANTS TO GET
TO THE BOTTOM OF THAT. THIS IS
AN INDIVIDUAL WHO JUST RECENTLY
WAS OFF PROBATION FOR A GUN
OFFENSE IN THE EXACT SAME AREA.
UM WE KNOW THAT HE, UH, HAD HIS
PROBATION EXPECT EXTENDED A
COUPLE OF TIMES. I’M NOT SURE
WHY, AND I’D LIKE TO KNOW THAT
WE KNOW THAT THE GUN THAT HE WAS
CARRYING HE WAS OBVIOUSLY
CARRYING ILLEGAL ILLEGALLY. HE
WAS A CONVICTED FELON. IT’S A
CRIME FOR HIM TO EVEN POSSESS
THAT WEAPON. HOW DID HE GET IT?
OKAY SO LET’S TALK ABOUT THE
CRIME. IT WAS BACK IN JUNE OF
2019. MCRAE WAS ARRESTED AND
CHARGED WITH A MISDEMEANOR
FIREARMS. HE WAS CHARGED WITH A
FELONY FIRE ARMS THAT HE WAS
CAUGHT WITH THAT LOADED GUN
CONCEALED. HE WENT TO COURT PLED
DOWN TO A MISDEMEANOR AND THEN
JUST SORT OF JUST ONE DAY IN
JAIL, FOLLOWED BY A YEAR OF
PROBATION, EVEN THOUGH HE COULD
HAVE BEEN SENTENCED TO A MAXIMUM
OF TWO YEARS IN PRISON. SO NOW
WE’RE GOING TO GO FROM THERE AND
WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT
COURTS. WE WANTED TO KNOW WHY
MCRAE ONLY GOT PROBATION, SO WE
DID REACH OUT TO THE INGHAM
COUNTY COURT AND WE WERE TOLD
MICHIGAN SENTENCING GUIDELINES
ARE ADVISORY NOT MANDATORY. THE
COURT LOOKS AT PRIOR CONVICTIONS
, WHETHER THERE ARE VICTIMS AND
OTHER FACTORS. AND IN THIS CASE
, UM COUNTY PROSECUTOR JOHN
DWAYNE INSISTED SENTENCING
GUIDELINES WERE FOLLOWED. SAID
QUOTE. IT IS A ROUTINE MATTER IN
NEARLY ALL CRIMINAL CASES THAT
THE RECOMMENDED SENTENCE IS NOT
THE SAME AS THE LEGAL MAXIMUM,
EVEN IF HE WERE CONVICTED BY A
JURY OF THE ORIGINAL CHARGE.
ANTHONY MCCRAY WOULD NOT HAVE
BEEN RECOMMENDED FOR A JAIL OR
PRISON SENTENCE. SO IN THE
MEANTIME, WE’RE HEARING FROM THE
CRAZE, FATHER, MICHAEL HE CAN’T
EXPLAIN HIS SON’S ACTIONS, HE
TOLD NBC NEWS. QUOTE. YOU NEVER
KNOW WHAT YOUR KID WILL DO WHEN
THEY WALK OUT THE DOOR. THE
ELDER MCRAE SAID HE DID NOTICE
THAT HIS SON DIDN’T SEEM TO CARE
ABOUT ANYTHING ANYMORE, AND HE
SAYS HE ENCOURAGED HIM TO SEEK
COUNSELING AND ATTEND CHURCH
WITH HIM. BUT HIS SON WASN’T
INTERESTED, INSISTING THAT HE
WAS OKAY. AND HE DIDN’T NEED
HELP, APPARENTLY WAS VERY UPSET
WITH HIS MOM’S DEATH BACK IN
2020, BUT THIS WHOLE TALK OF
MENTAL HEALTH. OBVIOUSLY MHM,
THERE’S MORE. SHAWN LEY HAS
SPENT THE DAY AT THE HOUSE WHERE
MCCRAY LIVED WITH HIS FATHER,
AND YOU’RE HEARING A LOT FROM
NEIGHBORS FROM WHOM LAST NIGHT
WAS REALLY TENSE. SEAN. KAREN WE
ALSO HAVE SOME NEW INFORMATION
TONIGHT. I JUST HEARD FROM THE
MAYOR’S OFFICE RIGHT HERE IN
LANSING. THEY TELL ME THEY’VE
BEEN IN MEETINGS TODAY WITH MSP
INVESTIGATORS WHO ARE NOT ONLY
INVESTIGATING MCCRAE, BUT EVERY
AND ALL CONTACT THEY CAN FIND
THAT HE MAY HAVE HAD WITH LOCAL
POLICE. HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW
RIGHT NOW FROM THE HOUSE WHERE
MCCRAY WAS STAYING WITH HIS
FATHER. LATE TODAY, THIS COUPLE
ARRIVING AT THE HOME WHERE THE
SUSPECTED MSU SHOOTER ANTHONY
MCCRAY WAS LIVING WITH HIS
FATHER. THEY HOP THE GATE
WINNING SIDE AND DID NOT WANT TO
SPEAK WITH US WHEN THEY LEFT.
DID YOU GET A CHANCE TO SPEAK
WITH HIM? THE ENGINE BEHIND THE
MCCRAY’S FATHER, SAYING TODAY
HIS SON TURNED EVIL AND MEAN
WHEN HIS MOTHER DIED TWO YEARS
AGO. IT’S ALSO WHERE NEIGHBOR
MEGAN BENDER SAYS POLICE WERE
CALLED LAST SUMMER FOR ANTHONY
MCCRAY FIRING A GUN OUT OF THE
BACK DOOR OF THE HOME. HE WAS
FIRING A WEAPON OUT OF THE BACK
DOOR. WHATEVER YEAH, LIKE THE
NEIGHBORS, CALLED THE POLICE,
BECAUSE HE WAS SHOOTING A GUN
OUT THE BACK DOOR. BENDER WAS
LISTENING TO THE CHAOS OF THE
SHOOTING RAMPAGE ON HER SCANNER
LAST NIGHT, WHERE 911 WAS
FLOODED WITH FALSE CALLS, AND
CREWS HAD TO QUICKLY CHECK EACH
FALSE REPORT AS THEY CLEARED
BUILDING AFTER BUILDING ON SCENE
. WE’RE GETTING A REPORT THAT
SOMEONE WOULD RECEIVED US
PICTURE WAS POSSIBLY TWO
SUBJECTS CARRYING A HUNTING
RIFLE. ON FACEBOOK THAT THERE
WERE THREE TOTAL SHOOTERS. BACK
YOUR LIFE. THAT WAS ONE OF THOSE
FALSE REPORTS THAT WENT ON FOR
HOURS. POLICE HAVING TO CHASE
THOSE DOWN DISPATCHERS, SAYING
STAYING SO CALM THROUGHOUT THE
HOURS AND HOURS OF HAVING TO DO
THAT YESTERDAY WALTZ AT THE SAME
TIME CLEARING BUILDINGS TO KEEP
PEOPLE SAFE. ALSO BEHIND ME
THERE, THE SMALL RED HOUSE
MCRAE’S FATHER, STILL INSIDE IS
NOT COME OUT TO SAY ANYTHING TO
US YET IF HE DOES, WE’LL
CERTAINLY BRING THAT TO YOU. AS
FAR AS MOTIVE AGAIN. NO MOTIVE
HERE. THE CAMPUS IS JUST FIVE
MILES THAT WAY. MCRAE’S BELIEVED
TO HAVE WALKED THAT WAY AND
AGAIN AS YOU KAREN HIS FATHER
SAYS HIS SON WAS UPSET ABOUT THE
DEATH OF HIS MOTHER, AND THAT’S
WHEN HE ALLEGEDLY GOT ANGRY AND
BECAME ISOLATED BACK TO YOU.
SPENDING LOTS OF TIME IN A SMALL
ROOM BY HIMSELF, PLAYING VIDEO
GAMES, APPARENTLY ALRIGHT, SEAN.