MSU student honored in Clawson on 2-year anniversary of deadly shooting
MSU student Alex Verner honored on 2-year anniversary of deadly shooting
On the two-year anniversary, the Clawson community is still finding its way towards healing, banding together to remember one of their own. Hundreds of Alex’s family members, friends and former Clawson High School classmates gathered at a tree planted by the school’s class of 1983 honoring her at Clawson City Park.
EAST LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - It has been two years since the Michigan State University (MSU) community was changed forever when a gunman opened fire on campus, killing three students and injuring five others.
On Thursday, a vigil was held for one of the victims, 20-year-old Alexandria Verner in Clawson.
The backstory:
On Feb. 13, 2023, the shooter, Anthony McRae, killed Arielle Anderson, Brian Fraser, and Alex Verner. The shooting left a mark on the East Lansing community that is still being felt in not just Mid-Michigan, but across the state.
Local perspective:
On the two-year anniversary, the Clawson community is still finding its way towards healing, banding together to remember one of their own.
Hundreds of Alex’s family members, friends and former Clawson High School classmates gathered at a tree planted by the school’s class of 1983 honoring her at Clawson City Park.
It’s where some of her ashes were also spread.
Alex's parents, Ted and Nancy Verner talked with FOX 2.
"Take a look around. This community has been amazing to us and two years later we are blown away with the support, the love that we get from this entire Clawson community," Ted said.
Alex was known by her jersey number 24 when playing volleyball, basketball and softball before starting what would have been a full, illustrious career at MSU.
"She was smarter than both of us put together," Nancy said. "She would start talking about some of her classes, and I’d look at Ted, and we’d look at each other like, okay well, she’s going to change the world."
Meanwhile, Thursday brought a somber day at MSU as classes were canceled, allowing students to reflect and remember those who were lost on that day in 2023.
Dig deeper:
Since then, Alex’s parents have used their voices to call for change.
"Our goal is to make sure she’s remembered," Ted said. "And we are doing that through her scholarship, we’re doing that through going out to Lansing and petitioning for these bills to be signed. We literally just last week met with the governor, and she signed two of the gun safety storage bills."