Three people are killed and five injured in a US university by a gunman.

After a protracted police manhunt, the shooter who left at least three people dead and five more injured on a US university campus Monday shot himself to death.

At Michigan State University, thousands of students were told to remain indoors after two people were killed after shots were fired at a campus building in the early evening.

After killing another person inside the students' union, the shooter fled the scene, setting off a massive police operation that saw officers rush the 5,000-acre school.

Just after midnight, authorities learned that the alleged shooter had nearby shot himself dead.

Three verified fatalities have occurred, the university's police force's deputy chief, Chris Rozman, informed reporters.

"In addition to the five victims who were hurt and sent to the hospital, there are also these. Some of the five victims still have serious injuries that might be fatal.

Rozman released a picture of a Black man wearing a baggy blue jacket and red sneakers, saying that hundreds of cops from several agencies had been working the operation to try to discover the shooter.

He claimed that the suspect in this event was found away from the MSU campus.

The victim of the self-inflicted gunshot wound was the suspect.

"What we are experiencing right now is a nightmare in the making. We are relieved that there is no longer a threat that is there on campus, said Rozman.

Police refused to disclose any information on the deaths, including whether they were faculty or students at the prestigious university.

Additionally, they stated that they were unable to confirm the suspect's relationship to the institution but added that they were not aware of any recent threats to the neighborhood.

In a nation where there are more firearms than people and where efforts to curtail their proliferation are consistently met with fierce resistance, gun violence is alarmingly prevalent.

Every year, shootings result in tens of thousands of deaths and numerous injuries.

When an elderly man started shooting in a dance hall in California where folks were celebrating the Lunar New Year last month, 11 people were shot to death.

A few hundred miles distant, a farm worker killed his seven coworkers a few days later.

Officials from Michigan State University announced that all campus events would be postponed for the following 48 hours.

According to the university's website, there are about 50,000 students enrolled at MSU, the majority of them undergraduates.