Michigan State University reaches $15 million settlement with families of 3 killed in February shooting, lawyer says

By Skylar Harris and Artemis Moshtaghian, CNN

(CNN) — Michigan State University reached a $15 million settlement with the families of the three students who were killed in a mass shooting on campus this year, an attorney for two of the slain victims said Friday.

The university’s board of trustees agreed to a settlement with the families of Arielle Anderson, Brian Fraser and Alexandria Verner, attorney Ven Johnson said. Those three students were killed, and five others were injured, in the February 13 shooting in two buildings on the East Lansing campus, authorities said.

Dan Kelly, the vice chair of the university’s board of trustees, acknowledged in a public meeting Friday that a settlement has been reached. However, the board has not released terms of the agreement. CNN has sought comment from the university.

Johnson, the attorney representing the Anderson and Fraser families, said the board of trustees approved the $15 million settlement, and that it would be equally divided between the families of the three slain students.

“Although no amount of money can ever mend the shattered hearts of these parents after suffering the unspeakable loss of their children, we appreciate how MSU has done the right thing under these horrible circumstances,” Johnson said in a release.

The shooting terrorized the campus community and forced desperate students to jump out of windows to escape the horror. The shooter was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.

David Femminineo, an attorney representing Verner’s family, said they did not “seek to blame MSU for the death of their daughter.”

“Instead, the Verner family has sought answers as to how this could be prevented in the future,” Femminineo said in a news conference with Verner’s parents.

Verner’s father, Ted Verner, said some of the money will be put toward funding scholarships that were created in honor of his daughter at her former high school in Clawson, Michigan.

“While no amount of compensation can ever replace the loss of a life, we do hope this brings some closure, support and relief to those families,” Kelly said during the board meeting Friday. “The university gives its deepest condolences to each of the three families, and we are committed to ensuring the memory of their child is not forgotten in the Spartan community.”

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