MSU gunman turned 'bitter' and 'evil' after mother's death: father

The father of the man police say gunned down three students at Michigan State University said his son became "evil" after the sudden death of his mother two-and-a-half years ago.

In an interview with NBC News, Michael McRae, the father of alleged 43-year-old shooter Anthony McRae, said his son became withdrawn after the death of his mother in September 2020, as he quit his job and spent most of his time sitting alone in his room.

“He was grieving his mom," McRae told the network. "He wouldn’t let it go. He got bitter, bitter and bitter... His mom died, and he just started getting evil and mean. He didn’t care about anything anymore."

Police said that McRae went to the Michigan State University campus Monday night and began opening fire on students. He killed three students and wounded five others.

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After police identified him and tracked him down in the adjacent city of Lansing, Michigan, McRae turned his weapon on himself and killed himself, police said.

Police still haven't announced a motive for why McRae targeted MSU, although his father told NBC that he thought his son may have been applying for a job there.