Details of an independent review of Michigan State University's response to the mass shooting back in February were released on Tuesday.
The report, prepared by Security Risk Management Consultants, centers on four questions, according to the organization: What was expected to happen? What actually occurred? What went well and why? What can be improved and how?
The shooting on Feb. 13 took place at Berkey Hall and the MSU Union, killing three students and injuring five others. The suspect later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound when he was confronted by police hours later.
In the executive summary of the report, the organization said, "our overall assessment of the initial response (that is, in the seconds after the initial call and prior to other agencies mounting a response effort) by MSU police officers is that the response was appropriate, timely, and correct."
It details how MSU police officers immediately responded to Berkey and then to the union, and how the Ingham County Regional Dispatch Center began handling 911 calls.
However, the report also details recommendations and improvements in 14 different areas, including policies and procedures, planning and preparation, communications, leadership coordination, command and control and more.
"While there are areas that should be internally further evaluated (because of this report) and actions taken, overall, we believe the initial response by MSU police and other police agencies was efficient and effective. The response in no way contributed to the prolongation of the incident, nor did it contribute in any way to additional loss of life," the report reads. "On the contrary, although we have no definitive way of knowing, the rapid response of police may have contributed in a positive way to ending the violent acts of the assailant sooner."
“This report is a critical next step in our ongoing commitment to ensuring MSU is a safe place for all who come to our campus,” MSU Interim President Teresa Woodruff said in a statement. “It provides concrete recommendations for strengthening campus safety and reinforces our efforts are on the right track.”
According to the university, action has been or is taking place on many recommendations, including centralizing and expanding the university's security cameras, implementing a centralized security operations center and more.
You can read the full report below.
Independent report on MSU mass shooting by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit on Scribd
