The City of East Lansing is heartbroken by the events that occurred on Michigan State University's campus on Monday, Feb. 13. View statements from Interim City Manager Randy Talifarro and East Lansing Mayor Ron Bacon below.
Statement from Interim City Manager Randy Talifarro (2/14/23):
“The City of East Lansing is mourning the devastating shooting that occurred on the campus of Michigan State University tonight. Our hearts go out to all of the victims of this horrific act of violence as well as their family and friends. East Lansing and MSU have always shared in each other’s victories and each other’s losses. Tonight, we hold space while we grapple with this devastating loss of life together.
We extend our gratitude to our brave first responders who quickly responded to MSU’s campus. Against every natural instinct they ran towards the sound of danger, seeking not their own wellbeing, but instead to protect and serve those in need. And we stand shoulder to shoulder with everyone impacted by tonight’s events. Please know that you’re not alone in your grief. We stand with you and will be here as we seek to heal as a community.”
Statement from East Lansing Mayor Ron Bacon (2/14/23):
“Today, we are all Spartans. Last night, another mass shooting took the lives of three innocent victims and injured five others, students who had their entire futures before them. As a community, we stand with MSU students, faculty and staff in collective grief, disbelief and shock at the horrific events that occurred in our city. As a parent with a child away at college, I have deep empathy and understand the heart-wrenching fear, the silent pleading prayers for your child’s safety and the need to immediately connect if only to just hear their voice. As an elected leader, you hope and pray that nothing like this will ever happen and when the unthinkable happens, it rocks you back on your heels and halts all sense of normality, shatters your sense of safety, but also creates an urgency to act, to call on all of us who have any power to do something, so that no family, no parent, no child will ever be forced to hear the words, there has been a shooting. This event has devastated our entire community and has left the country to once again grapple with the senseless loss of life from gun violence. February 13, 2023 will be indelibly etched in our minds. We will remember the victims, Arielle Anderson, Brian Fraser, Alexandria Verner; the survivors who are hospitalized fighting for their lives; and the thousands without physical wounds whose lives will be forever changed. We will not forget them.
We will remain steadfast in our support for our MSU family and offer whatever resources we can provide as we navigate through this difficult time as one city.
I want to thank City staff and first responders, who came from across the region to answer the call to help, their bravery and professionalism was unparalleled. This is the time for our community to lean into one another, for comfort, healing, to find solutions and to find hope for a way forward."