While there was no campus-wide alert sent out, College of Law Dean Michael Sant’Ambrogio sent an email the following day around noon to all MSU law students to address the incident. 

Sant’Ambrogio explained that the incident was first reported by an undergraduate student who noticed someone "they thought was acting suspiciously" in the library. Additionally, the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety received an alert from students on the fourth floor. 

MSU Police officers located and detained the individual four minutes after the officers arrived at the building, according to department spokesperson Nadia Vizueta. The suspect was also found to be carrying a weapon.

The MSU Police arrested the individual for aggravated/felonious assault at approximately 8 p.m., according to the Clery Crime and Fire Logs.

"The individual, who was not an MSU student and attended by someone affiliated with MSU, left the building with DPPS and was found to have a small pocketknife in their possession," Sant’Ambrogio wrote in the email. 

The suspect — who is a juvenile — was taken into custody and released to a guardian pending a review of charges by the Ingham County Prosecutor’s office, Sant’Ambrogio wrote. Vizueta said the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office has not yet reviewed the report or made a charging decision. 

The Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office did not respond to requests for comment at the time of publication.

"A one-year campus-wide trespass notice is in place for the individual," Sant’Ambrogio wrote. 

Sant’Ambrogio reassured students of the university’s commitment to safety.

"Our community’s safety is our highest priority," he wrote. "We are cooperating with campus police and will keep you informed if there are any updates. University leadership is also aware of the situation and involved in our review of the incident."

Asked why an alert was not sent to the wider campus, Vizueta said there was no ongoing danger, as officers were "on scene in under two minutes and quickly determined there was no ongoing threat."

"We are committed to immediately notifying our community of any confirmed and ongoing threats through the MSU Alert system, in alignment with Federal Clery Act criteria," Vizueta wrote in an email to The State News. 

It's unclear exactly how the individual entered the building, as the College of Law is locked after 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and can only be accessed by members of the MSU community with a valid I.D. when it is locked, Vizueta said. 

But, "it appears that the individual was allowed in the building by someone with a valid ID," Vizueta said, adding that detail will be part of the department's investigation. 

At this time, the department is not releasing the name of the suspect.

"The individual is a juvenile and due to the investigation, it would not be appropriate for us to share additional information at this time," Vizueta said.