Campus Alert Archive
MSU

Five Strangers, Two Students, and a Hate Crime in the MSU Library

MIaggravated assaulttimely warninghigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

A group of approximately five suspects assaulted two students in the Michigan State University Main Library on April 15, 2024 — the assault occurred at approximately 5:45 p.m. EDT and was reported to MSU Police at 5:50 p.m. — targeting the victims because of their sexual orientation. MSU Police and Public Safety classified the incident as a hate crime and aggravated assault and issued a timely warning to the campus community that evening.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Michigan State University
Public R1 · MI
~50,000 studentsEverbridgeMSU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 2 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatimMSU Alert official archive — Timely Warning issued at 9:04:46 PM EDT on April 15, 2024; core sentence confirmed verbatim by The State News and WWMT153 chars
A group of approximately five suspects assaulted two victims, intentionally selecting the victim(s) because of the perpetrator's sexual orientation bias.
This is the verbatim Clery bias-designation sentence from the timely warning — the framing 'intentionally selecting the victim(s) because of the perpetrator's [protected class] bias' tracks exactly the Department of Education's Clery Act Handbook hate-crime classification template
Initial reports said five suspects but MSU DPPS identified seven on April 16 — the timely warning's 'approximately five' was the contemporaneous estimate
The hate-crime category based on sexual orientation bias is reportable under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act
The MSU Library is one of the most heavily trafficked buildings on campus, making a 5:50 p.m. assault there during the academic term particularly alarming for community safety
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Verified verbatimMSU Department of Police and Public Safety official news release, April 16, 2024 — verbatim text from the official dpps.msu.edu archive585 chars
MSU DPPS Identifies Suspects in Assault Investigation Michigan State University Department of Police and Public Safety has identified seven suspects in an alleged hate crime and aggravated assault that occurred at the MSU Library on April 15, 2024. None of the suspects are affiliated with MSU. The case has been turned over to the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office for review of charges. The department thanks members of the campus community who provided information that aided the investigation. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact MSU Police at (517) 355-2221.
The follow-up specifically noted that 'None of the suspects are affiliated with MSU' — a deliberate framing repeated across MSU DPPS communications during this period
The follow-up does not retract the bias designation from the original timely warning — referral to the Ingham County Prosecutor preserves the hate-crime classification for prosecutorial decision
Four minors were ultimately charged in July 2024 with two counts of aggravated assault each, complicating the public-record picture given Michigan juvenile-court confidentiality
Context

Background

The April 2024 hate crime at the MSU Main Library drew significant media attention and community concern. According to the State News, victims Bradley Cooper and Ryon Baldwin-Williams were studying in the library when a group began insulting their appearances before the altercation escalated into a physical assault. The victims sustained significant injuries. MSU Police identified seven suspects the following day, none of whom were affiliated with the university. In July 2024, four minors were charged with two counts of aggravated assault each. The victims publicly called for increased security at the MSU Library in the wake of the attack. This incident occurred just over a year after the February 2023 mass shooting on campus, adding to a sense of vulnerability among students.
Analysis

Key Findings

All seven identified suspects were unaffiliated with MSU, raising questions about open-campus security policies and the vulnerability of public university spaces to outside actors
The hate crime classification based on sexual orientation bias makes this one of the relatively rare Clery timely warnings issued for bias-motivated aggravated assaults
The incident occurred just 14 months after the February 2023 mass shooting at MSU, compounding community trauma and intensifying demands for security improvements
Four of the seven suspects were minors, which complicated prosecution and limited public information available about the case
Outcome
Seven suspects identified, none affiliated with MSU. Four minors charged with two counts of aggravated assault each. Case referred to Ingham County Prosecutor's Office.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    MSU Alert Timely Warning — Hate Crime Aggravated Assault (MSU Alert official archive)
    alert.msu.edu
  2. Student Paper
    Seven suspects identified in hate crime, aggravated assault at MSU Library - The State News
    statenews.com
  3. Official
    MSU DPPS identifies suspects in assault investigation
    dpps.msu.edu
  4. Student Paper
    Four minors charged in MSU library hate crime - The State News
    statenews.com
  5. Student Paper
    Victims of hate crime want more security at MSU Library - The State News
    statenews.com
Tags
aggravated-assaulthate-crimetimely-warningsexual-orientation-biasmichiganlibrarynon-affiliate-suspects
Added April 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion