Michigan State University students, faculty and community remember the fatal shooting on campus two years prior by placing flowers outside of Berkey Hall on Feb. 13, 2025.
The MSU Department of Police and Public Safety (DPPS) determined there is no threat to Berkey Hall or the broader campus following an investigation into a reported potential threat, according to a Thursday afternoon update.
Berkey Hall will reopen and resume normal operations at 7 a.m. Friday, according to DPPS.
Berkey Hall was one of the sites of the Feb. 13, 2023 campus shooting, which killed three students and injured five others.
DPPS said in the email that they learned of the reported threat in the late afternoon of Wednesday, Sep. 2. The threat was made by an individual and included information about a program located inside Berkey Hall.
The information was provided to DPPS by a medical professional as part of their “Duty to Warn” obligations under Michigan law.
“The information was therefore second-hand and required further investigation. The decision was made to temporarily close Berkey Hall and move classes to remote online instruction,” the updated email read. “This was done out of an abundance of caution while law enforcement immediately began a thorough investigation.”
On Sept. 3, DPPS made contact with the individual in Washtenaw County. The individual was taken into protective custody under the Michigan Mental Health Code, according to DPPS.
DPPS said they are limited in what they can share about the individual but confirmed the person is not an MSU student or employee.They worked to determine the credibility of the information while coordinating with the Eastern Michigan University Police Department, the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office and the Michigan State Police.
MSU Spokesperson Amber McCann said, at the time, the information law enforcement had was specific enough to narrow their focus to Berkey Hall, and there is no indication of a threat to the broader campus at this time.
"The safety of the campus community is the university's top priority, and the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety continues their diligent work on the situation. Information will be shared when possible and in consideration of the ongoing law enforcement investigation," she said.
According to a campus-wide email sent around 6:02 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3, the academic building was shut down, and classes moved online "out of an abundance of caution" while law enforcement assessed the threat.
The building sits on the northern boundary of campus near Grand River Ave.
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