MSU shooting victims continue improving as school promises to pay medical expenses
EAST LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - A week after tragedy struck Michigan State University's campus, students and staff are still reeling as the school tries to restart class and distill a slice of normalcy to the community.
The students injured in the attack continue to improve, with the latest update Sunday that three of the victims remain in critical condition, one is in serious but stable condition, and a fifth is in fair condition.
Sparrow Health has been caring for the students since they arrived with gunshot wounds after a gunman began shooting inside Berkey Hall late Monday night last week.
One victim was identified as an international student from China named John Hao. According to a gofundme set-up for the 20-year-old by his roommate, which has since raised more than $350,000 before new donations were disabled, Hao had his spinal cord severed from the shooting.
The injuries left him paralyzed. As of Saturday, he had intubation tubes removed and appeared to be improving. According to the Chinese Consulate, another victim in the shooting was also from the country.
A third victim was previously identified as Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez, a native to Florida.
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Over the weekend, the deceased students Brian Fraser, Alexandria Verner, and Arielle Anderson were all honored at respective funerals and vigils.
During a ceremony Saturday evening, family and friends gathered at a church in Grosse Pointe Woods to pay tribute to Anderson. The 19-year-old "always lit up a room and knew how to make someone's day better," said her cousin.
Her family had last seen her the weekend before she died when she had come home to go to a Detroit Pistons game at Little Caesars Arena.
"The day he dropped her off that Sunday, he didn't know that would be the last day he saw his daughter," said Mona Lloyd, Arielle's Aunt. "Her dad is broken. He will never be the same. Never. This is horrible. Everything about this is horrible."
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Both Fraser and Verner were also laid to rest this weekend - one in Grosse Pointe Farms and the other in Clawson.
The school says it intends to reopen campus Monday, though Berkey Hall will remain closed for the rest of the year.
During a press conference Sunday, the deputy spokesperson for the school said the university would be covering all medical expenses for the students injured, as well as the funeral costs for those that died.