Michigan State students to return to class following mass shooting

Students at Michigan State University will start returning to classes on Monday, one week after a gunman killed three students and injured six more during a mass shooting on campus. 

Despite pressure from some in the community to hold off on the re-opening, MSU confirmed that classes would resume in person. It comes as people across the community of East Lansing, Michigan, continue to try and heal from the traumatic event. 

The three deceased students were previously identified as Arielle Anderson, Alexandria Verner, and Brian Fraser. Anderson and Verner both died in Berkey Hall, during a class taught by Professor Marco Díaz-Muñoz. 

While Berkey Hall will remain closed for the rest of the semester, Díaz-Muñoz told The Associated Press, "Those images haunt me. The images of those two girls." He described the scene inside his classroom as "12 minutes of terror." 

Díaz-Muñoz said MSU had given him the option of having another professor teach through the end of the semester. However, he told AP that he is currently planning to return to the lecture hall when classes resume.

"On one hand, I want to forget it all. But then on the other hand, I think I need to help my students pick up the pieces," Díaz-Muñoz said, adding that he "[needs] to help my students build a sense of meaning."

As the healing process continues, the greater Michigan community has seemed to rally around MSU. The University of Michigan, the longstanding archrival of Michigan State, held a vigil on its own campus reported to be 3,000 strong. 

The Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team then joined the Michigan State Spartans, who were playing in their first game since the shooting, in a joint ceremony of remembrance prior to tip off on Saturday.