The Michigan State University Department of Police and Public Safety, or DPPS, is continuing to update the community regarding its investigation of the 43-year-old gunman behind a Feb. 13 mass shooting that left three dead and five injured on MSU’s campus.
MSU Chief of Police Chris Rozman said as the investigation progresses, the department plans to continue on its course of using the MSU Police and Public Safety Twitter page and MSU’s emergency alert system to update the community as necessary.
“Twitter is just the easiest way for us to push out live-time information to our community,” Rozman said. “It’s the one source that we’ve used in addition to our MSU alert system, our emergency messaging.”
Rozman said the DPPS will post updates as they come on its website under news releases in addition to providing a URL link to the page for social media updates.
When deciding what updates to release, Rozman said, the department focuses on a trauma-informed lens that will minimize emotional impact. He said the announcements and updates will be a “balancing act” when determining what information is relevant to the public.
“The other thing that we have to do when we navigate what updates to release is what is actually of value to our community,” Rozman said.
Rozman said he does question the relevancy of some information reported to the public by different media outlets, such as the released 911 calls on the night of the shooting.
“I have personally heard from so many members of our community, including students, who were impacted, who called 911, who were there on the scene, that are significantly impacted by the release of that information,” Rozman said.
DPPS put together a timeline of the shooter’s presence on campus, which Rozman said remains an ongoing facet of the investigation as well as the shooter's behavior and movements prior to the incident.
Whether the shooter conducted any planning, preparation, surveillance or scouting, Rozman said, are all questions to which the department is still seeking answers.
“When we talk about timeline, we’re not talking about just starting at 8:18 (p.m.) on (Feb.) 13th, we want to know what he was doing that week, before that week,” Rozman said.
In complex homicide investigations, Rozman said the department’s digital forensics and cybercrime unit acquires a search warrant for the suspect’s electronic devices, followed up by warrants from third-party applications, such as social media and messaging companies.
Rozman called this process "time-intense" and said it may take months.
“Digital investigations that involve electronic devices typically take quite a while because the search warrants, once they’re served on the companies, it could be months before we get results back from those companies,” Rozman said.
The DPPS is continuing to work with the FBI and the Michigan State Police on the investigation.
Rozman said the MSP has primarily handled the scene where the suspect was contacted by law enforcement in addition to collecting evidence from the shooter's residence, while the FBI’s role has revolved around interviewing witnesses and victims.
FBI Special Agent Mara Schneider said while the FBI's focus has not been on investigating the shooter, it will continue to serve its supporting role to the DPPS by providing technical and forensic support.
