Highland High grad recounts MSU shooting
Michigan State University freshman and 2022 Highland High graduate Mason Grahek was sitting inside his dorm when gunshots suddenly erupted near Berkey Hall on Feb. 13. Reality would set in when a text from police reading “Run, Hide, Fight” flashed on his phone.
The shooting in East Lansing left three people dead and five people injured, according to Michigan State Police. The suspected shooter, Anthony McRae, 43, was initially spotted near Berkey Hall, around 300 yards from where Grahek resides.
McRae shot in multiple areas at MSU, according to police. Students including Grahek were no exception to feeling terrified; he described hearing the gunshots, and said he felt lucky that he is even alive.
Victims of the shooting more than likely have to deal with life-altering physical and mental ramifications of one man’s choice. The murder victims include Arielle Anderson, 19, Brian Fraser, 20, and Alexandria Verner, 20, according to police. Seriously injured victims are still being identified.
Police said McRae shot and killed himself when confronted by law enforcement not far from his home in Lansing.
While Grahek didn’t personally know any of them, he said all students were considered like family. Students and faculty all mourned as a school.
Grahek talked about injured student John Haro.
“He came to the United States to learn, and now he is paralyzed for life,” Grahek said.
He described how students are desensitized to shootings — just like he has been — because they are an ongoing issue in the United States.
“... Everyone processes things in a different way. No matter how desensitized you are, everyone felt it,” Grahek said.
The Union, another location on campus where shots were fired, is where Grahek says he should’ve been at the time of the incident. Close to his dorm, he is there almost every day. The day of the shooting was an exception.
McRae was shot in the Union. Grahek was supposed to be there.
He mentions that for some reason, he just wasn’t there during that time.
“I am so grateful that
I am alive. I should have been in the Union the way my schedule was,” Grahek said. “But I wasn’t and I thank God for that.”
Coming from Bakersfield, this has presented itself as a major change for 18-year-old Grahek. He said multiple times that he sees school as a place to learn and gain new experiences. Leaving California was supposed to bring more opportunities. Being met with a shooting, however, is not one of those opportunities he had in mind.
Grahek said many students are talking about transferring or dropping out because of the traumatic event, but he does not plan to.
“This has been my dream school since I was young,” Grahek said. “Police presence is insane now. You can’t turn without seeing a cop. I still feel very safe on campus considering everything that has happened.”
He plans to finish his education, and hopefully be able to move on.
Grahek said he thinks Michigan State University will not be hindered by the shooting. Students and staff all over the country have shown support.
Students have gained togetherness not only within their own school, but from others as well. Moving forward after a tragedy of this magnitude won’t be easy, according to Grahek.
“Together. That’s the best answer I can give you,” Grahek said of moving forward. “No one went through this alone. No matter how small, and what the feelings are. We are all in this together . ... It will get better, it will get easier, it’s just gonna take time.”