Police said late Monday that three people have been killed and five others injured in shootings at Michigan State University, leading hundreds of officers to sweep the campus in search of the gunman, who remained at large.

Students were ordered to shelter in place for hours at the East Lansing campus, about 90 miles northwest of Detroit.

The shootings began shortly before 8:30 p.m. at Berkey Hall, an academic building, and also at the nearby student union, said Chris Rozman, interim deputy chief of the campus police department.

He described the suspect as a short man with red shoes, a jean jacket and ball cap, and a photo of him was released Monday night.

Rozman urged parents to stay away.

“I can only imagine the emotion that’s involved right now. … We are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our campus and all of our students,” Rozman said.

Five victims were taken to Sparrow Hospital, said hospital spokesperson John Foren, who had no information on their conditions.

By 10:15 p.m., police said Berkey, as well as nearby residence halls, were secured.

Separately, police on Twitter reported a shooting at IM East, a recreational center for students. But Rozman didn’t mention it during a news briefing and said there had been false reports of additional shootings.

Authorities announced late Monday that all campus activities would be canceled for 48 hours, including athletics and classes. Via Twitter, people were advised not to come to campus Tuesday.

Michigan State has about 50,000 students.

Ga. election probe to be made partially public

A Georgia judge said Monday that he would disclose parts of a grand jury report later this week that details an investigation into 2020 election interference by former President Donald Trump and his allies, though he would keep the jury’s specific recommendations secret for now.

In making his ruling, Judge Robert C.I. McBurney of Fulton County Superior Court said the special grand jury raised concerns in its report “that some witnesses may have lied under oath during their testimony.” But the eight-page ruling included few other revelations about the report, the contents of which have been carefully guarded, with the only physical copy in the possession of the district attorney’s office.

The ruling does, however, indicate that the special grand jury’s findings are serious. The report includes “a roster of who should (or should not) be indicted, and for what, in relation to the conduct (and aftermath) of the 2020 general election in Georgia,” McBurney wrote.

U.S. responds to China provocations at sea

The United States renewed a warning that it would defend its treaty ally the Philippines if Filipino forces come under an armed attack in the disputed South China Sea after a Chinese coast guard ship allegedly hit a Philippine patrol vessel with military-grade laser that temporarily blinded some of its crew.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said China’s “dangerous operational behavior directly threatens regional peace and stability, infringes upon freedom of navigation in the South China Sea as guaranteed under international law and undermines the rules-based international order.”

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Monday that a Philippine coast guard vessel trespassed into Chinese waters without permission on Feb. 6.

Pedestrians hit with truck, 1 killed, 7 hurt

A man driving a U-Haul truck swerved onto sidewalks and plowed into scooter riders in New York City on Monday, killing one person and injuring seven others before police were able to pin the careening vehicle against a building following a mileslong pursuit through Brooklyn.

A 44-year-old man was pronounced dead hours after he was struck and critically injured, according to a law enforcement official.

The driver was arrested and taken to a police station. His son identified him as Weng Sor, 62, a troubled man with a history of harmful behavior and stints behind bars.

The mayhem unfolded over a harrowing hour as the truck tore through Brooklyn’s bustling Bay Ridge neighborhood, hitting people at several points along the way before veering on and off a highway as police gave chase.

Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell described it as a “violent rampage,” but said there was no evidence of “terrorism involvement.”

The truck, rented by Sor in Florida on Feb. 1, traveled a winding route before police stopped it near the entrance to a tunnel leading from Brooklyn to Manhattan, more than 3 miles from where the chase began. Weng Sor’s son, Stephen Sor, 30, said his father had a history of mental illness.

Biden fires Capitol architect after report

President Joe Biden on Monday fired J. Brett Blanton, the federal official responsible for the maintenance and operation of the Capitol complex, amid bipartisan calls for his resignation, after an investigative report accusing him of misusing his position and revelations that he avoided the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack.

Blanton, who was appointed in 2019 as the architect of the Capitol, had been under scrutiny for more than a year after a report by the inspector general of his office in 2021 documented evidence supporting allegations that he had misused his office vehicle, misled investigators and impersonated a police officer on multiple occasions.

But concerns among lawmakers in both parties intensified at a 90-minute hearing on Friday in which Blanton gave noncommittal and at times contradictory answers about his conduct, including his decision to stay away from the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot.

On Monday morning, Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Twitter that Blanton “no longer has my confidence to continue in his job,” and should resign or be removed by Biden.

A White House official said that after conducting due diligence on the matter, the president had directed that Blanton be fired.

— From news services