The campus remained on what they’re referring to as modified operations on Tuesday and Wednesday.
But classes and all school activities are canceled until Monday (Feb. 20). That includes a Michigan State basketball game against Minnesota.
All of that was canceled as students, staff, and the massive MSU family tried to cope with what happened.
Local 4′s Crime and Safety expert, Darnell Blackburn, previously worked as an officer for years at Michigan State.
“In this environment, you train for, but you don’t expect for,” said Blackburn. “And the reality is that, you know, officers, public safety workers are human beings, and we have a job to do first that is, that’s always paramount, and we’re going to do the job.”
Blackburn continued:
“But the long-lasting, I mean, the after-effects of this, it’s going to cause some damage. And you know, many officers who will need to make sure that they debrief and that they speak to somebody because this is very traumatic, and to see it happen is just, it’s overwhelming.”
Blackburn continued:
“So the humanity of this is what gets lost on all levels. We become so desensitized to this whole thing that we miss the fact that it affects doctors, it affects police officers, it affects news anchors, and it affects us all.”
The MSU mass shooting was affecting Blackburn Monday night, who went live while giving some insight to the Local 4 viewers, especially since it’s a place that he is very familiar with.
“It was very much so, and it still is,” Blackburn said. “It still is, you know, it’s tough.”
Watch the video above for the full story.