The college students killed in a shooting on Michigan State University’s campus Monday night included a “tremendous” leader and athlete, a “great friend” who was “loved by everyone” and a “straight-A student” who wanted to become a doctor, those who knew them said.
Three students were killed and five were wounded after a gunman opened fire. Police identified the slain students as Alexandria Verner of Clawson, a junior; Brian Fraser of Grosse Pointe, a sophomore; and Arielle Anderson, also of Grosse Pointe.
Alexandria Verner
Alexandria, a 2020 graduate of Clawson High School, was "a tremendous student, athlete, leader” and person who “exemplified kindness every day of her life,” Billy Shellenbarger, the superintendent of Clawson Public Schools, said in a statement.
“If you knew her, you loved her and we will forever remember the lasting impact she has had on all of us,” he said.
Alexandria’s father, Ted Verner, told The Washington Post that his daughter, who played basketball, volleyball and softball for all four years of high school, was a “beautiful soul.”
Brian Fraser
Brian, a 2021 graduate of Grosse Pointe South High School, was the president of the Michigan Beta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Michigan State University, according to the fraternity.
“As the leader of his chapter, Brian was a great friend to his Phi Delta brothers, the Greek community at Michigan State, and those he interacted with on campus,” the fraternity said in a statement. “Phi Delta Theta sends its deepest condolences to the Fraser family, the Michigan Beta Chapter, and all those who loved Brian as they mourn their loss.”
Brian's father, Sean Fraser, told The Detroit News that his son was “a good kid” who was “loved by everyone.”
Jon Dean, the superintendent of the Grosse Pointe Public School System, said in a statement that his heart broke when he heard of the shooting and when he learned two recent graduates from the school system were killed.
“I can’t even process what I just wrote,” he said. “How can we have our community impacted in this personal way?”
He said that Brian and Arielle were “exceptional kids” who were doing great things and “they will be missed.”
Arielle Anderson
Arielle, Dean said, graduated from Grosse Pointe North in 2021.
Tim Davis, her uncle, told the Detroit News that she was "literally just kind-hearted."
“She was just sweet and innocent. She just stayed innocent her whole life. She was soft-spoken. Always helpful. In my opinion, she was just perfect the way she conducted herself," he told the newspaper. "She had great manners and was respectful. She was very smart, a straight-A student. I’m pretty sure you will hear that from everybody.”
Arielle wanted to become a pediatrician, her grandmother April Davis told the Detroit Free Press.
“She’s kind, loving, caring, compassionate, driven” and “very family oriented,” she told the newspaper.
CORRECTION (Feb. 14, 2023, 6:06 p.m. ET): A previous version of this story misspelled the name of a city in Michigan. It is Grosse Pointe, not Grosse Point.
