A Michigan state lawmaker has lashed out at the empty promises and well wishes after the 67th mass shooting in the US for 2023.
Democratic Majority Whip in the Michigan House of Representatives, Ranjeev Puri, issued the no-holds-barred statement shortly after the mass shooting at Michigan State University that left three dead and five injured on Monday (February 13).
"Fuck your thoughts and prayers," Puri said in a statement released on his Twitter account.
"What happened in East Lansing is unfortunately far too common. Going to school in America, whether it’s pre-school or college, means risking your life every day to the threat of a mass shooting.
"Yet all we have offered up are empty solutions; traumatizing active shooter drills and bulletproof backpacks. We do not need to live like this.
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"The United States is the only country where this happens."
Puri says the Michigan State University incident is the 67th mass shooting to take place in the US since January 1.
He added: "Thoughts and prayers without action and change are meaningless."
Police have since confirmed the gunman responsible for the mass shooting fatally shot himself after Monday's attack.
Police revealed the 43-year-old man turned his gun on himself when he was cornered by police after a manhunt that lasted hours.
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Fox reported that the suspect had no affiliation with the university, and the buildings where the shootings happened were open to the broader public.
According to Michigan State University, shots were fired inside the college's Berkey Hall at 8:18 pm.
The hall sits on the northern boundary of campus in East Lansing.
Emergency responders found shooting victims at Berkey Hall and the nearby Michigan State University Union.
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Police and paramedics tended to victims at both scenes.
Emergency responders said, via Fox, that five people were hurt in the mass shooting before police later confirmed the attack had left three people dead.
Two were killed in the attack on Berkey Hall. The third was fatally wounded at the University's Union.
Five surviving victims are now fighting for their lives in hospital, all in a critical condition.
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Fox News reported that students were advised to 'run, hide, [or] fight' for their lives as the armed man roamed campus.
FBI Detroit special agent in charge James Tarasca revealed that the investigation will take days as authorities try to piece together what happened.
Rachel Lang