What We Know About the Michigan State Shooting

At this point, more questions than answers are in play after Monday night's shooting spree on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing. Authorities are expected to clear things up at a Tuesday news conference. In the meantime:

• Victims: Authorities say three people are dead and five more are hospitalized in critical condition, reports USA Today. It's not clear whether any or all are students or faculty members. Authorities have provided no details on their affiliation with the school, per the Detroit News.
• Shooter: Police have identified the gunman only as a 43-year-old man with no apparent ties to the university. They say he fatally shot himself off campus after police closed in on him, reports the AP. "We have no idea why he came to campus to do this tonight,” said Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of the campus police department.

• Two sites: The gunman first opened fire inside an academic building, Berkey Hall, say police. He then went to the nearby Michigan State student union and opened fire again, according to authorities. Both buildings were unlocked and open to the public, notes the New York Times. At about 8:30pm, the campus sent out an alert to students about a shooter on campus.
• The fear: Students' stories are surfacing. Mike and Natalie Papoulias tell USA Today their sophomore daughter escaped with others out a classroom window in Berkey Hall. "I heard somebody get shot, mom," she texted. "It's terrifying. I could smell the gunpowder." Ryan Kunkel say he and about a dozen other students turned off the lights in their Engineering Building classroom when the alert came through. "Nothing came out of anyone's mouth" for more than four hours, he tells the AP.
• Witness: Student Ted Zimbo was walking to his residence hall when he encountered a fellow student. “She told me, ‘Someone came in our classroom and started shooting,’” he says. "Her hands were completely covered in blood. It was on her pants and her shoes. She said, ‘It’s my friend’s blood.'" Zimbo says he went to his SUV and hid under a blanket for three hours.

(More Michigan State University stories.)