3 people killed at Michigan State University; gunman dead
East Lansing (US) (AP): A gunman opened fire Monday night at Michigan State University, killing three people and wounding five more, before fatally shooting himself off campus amid an hourslong manhunt during which frightened students hid in the dark.
Police reported the man's death early Tuesday, four hours after shootings broke out, first at Berkey Hall, an academic building, and then nearby at the MSU Union, a popular hub to eat or study.
"This truly has been a nightmare we're living tonight," said Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of the campus police department.
Hundreds of officers had scoured the East Lansing campus, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, for the suspect, whom police described as a short Black man with red shoes, a jean jacket and ball cap.
Rozman said it was too early to know a motive and whether the man had some type of affiliation with the university. His name was not immediately released.
"There's a lot that we don't know at this point," Rozman said.
Two people were killed at Berkey and another was killed at the MSU Union, he said.
Sparrow Hospital spokesperson John Foren said he had no information on the conditions of five injured people.
By 10:15 p.m., police said Berkey, as well as nearby residence halls, were secured.
Before the gunman was found dead, WDIV-TV meteorologist Kim Adams, whose daughter attends Michigan State, told viewers that students were worn down by the hourslong saga.
"They've been hiding, all the lights off in a dark room," Adams said. "Their cellphones are starting to lose battery charge. They don't all have chargers with them and losing contact with the outside world is terrifying on a normal day for college kids, let alone when there's someone out there that they haven't caught yet."
Aedan Kelley, a junior who lives a half-mile (less than a kilometer) east of campus, said he locked his doors and covered his windows "just in case." Sirens were constant, he said, and a helicopter hovered overhead.
"It's all very frightening," Kelley said. "And then I have all these people texting me wondering if I'm OK, which is overwhelming."
Michigan State has about 50,000 students. All campus activities were canceled for 48 hours, including athletics and classes.(AP)
This is what a college campus looks like tonight in America.
— Giffords (@GiffordsCourage) February 14, 2023
Tomorrow marks five years since the shooting in Parkland.
Tonight, the nation is watching as another shooting unfolds at Michigan State University.
We don’t have to live like this. pic.twitter.com/w0mnDC8hN2
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Canada is already examining tariffs on certain US items following Trump's tariff threat
Toronto (AP/PTI): Canada is already examining possible retaliatory tariffs on certain items from the United States should President-elect Donald Trump follow through on his threat to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products, a senior official has said.
Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if the countries don't stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across southern and northern borders. He said he would impose a 25 per cent tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders.
But Trump posted Wednesday evening on Truth Social that he had a "wonderful conversation" with new Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and she "agreed to stop Migration through Mexico".
"Mexico will stop people from going to our Southern Border, effective immediately. THIS WILL GO A LONG WAY TOWARD STOPPING THE ILLEGAL INVASION OF THE USA. Thank you!!!" Trump posted.
It was unclear what impact the conversation will have on Trump's plan to impose tariffs.
In Canada, a government official said on Wednesday that Canada is preparing for every eventuality and has started thinking about what items to target with tariffs in retaliation. The official stressed no decision has been made. The person spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly.
When Trump imposed higher tariffs during his first term in office, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada, for instance, announced billions of new duties in 2018 against the US in a tit-for-tat response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum.
Many of the US products were chosen for their political rather than economic impact. For example, Canada imports USD 3 million worth of yogurt from the US annually and most comes from one plant in Wisconsin, home state of then-House Speaker Paul Ryan. That product was hit with a 10 per cent duty.
Another product on the list was whiskey, which comes from Tennessee and Kentucky, the latter of which is the home state of then-Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell.
Trump made the threat Monday while railing against an influx of illegal migrants, even though the numbers at Canadian border pale in comparison to the southern border.
The US Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests at the Mexican border in October alone — and 23,721 arrests at the Canadian one between October 2023 and September 2024.
Canadian officials say lumping Canada in with Mexico is unfair but say they are ready to make new investments in border security and work with the Trump administration to lower the numbers from Canada. The Canadians are also worried about a influx north of migrants if Trump follows through with his plan for mass deportations.
Trump also railed about fentanyl from Mexico and Canada, even though seizures from the Canadian border pale in comparison to the Mexican border. US customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border.
Canadian officials argue their country is not the problem and that tariffs will have severe implications for both countries.
Canada is the top export destination for 36 US states. Nearly USD 3.6 billion Canadian (USD 2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60 per cent of US crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85 per cent of US electricity imports are from Canada. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the US and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a emergency virtual meeting on Wednesday with the leaders of Canada's provinces. He stressed they need to present a united front.
"I don't want to minimize for a moment the gravity of the challenge we now face," Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said. "Now is really a moment for us not to squabble amongst ourselves."
The provincial premiers want Trudeau to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the United States that excludes Mexico.
Sheinbaum, Mexico's president, said earlier Wednesday that her administration is already working up a list of possible retaliatory tariffs "if the situation comes to that."
She later said she talked to Trump and had "an excellent conversation".
