Nine people were wounded, including two young children and their mother, when a man opened fire at a water recreation area in a Detroit suburb where families were trying to flee the summer heat. Police tracked the attacker to a home, where he apparently shot himself to death, authorities reported.
An 8-year-old boy was shot in the head and was in critical condition Saturday night, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said at a news conference. The child’s mother was also in critical condition, with injuries to the abdomen and leg, and her other son, 4 years old, suffered a leg injury and was in stable condition.
The other six victims, all 30 years old or older, were in stable condition, Bouchard said. Among them was a couple and a 78-year-old man.
The shooting occurred shortly after 5:00 p.m. in a municipal park that has a recreational area with a non-slip surface where people can turn on sprinklers and water fountains to cool off. Bouchard said the attack appeared to be random, as the gunman drove to the park, walked to the recreational area and fired up to 28 shots, stopping several times to reload his gun.
At least one witness said that the attacker appeared to use two guns during the shooting, but the information has not been confirmed, the police chief added.
In the chaos, “people fell, were hit and tried to run,” Bouchard said. “Terrible things that unfortunately all of us in our law enforcement profession have seen too much of.”
The aggressor “apparently was not in a hurry. “He just calmly walked back to his car,” the police chief said.
Police listened to the 911 call reporting the incident, Bouchard explained, because they use a service that simultaneously sends emergency calls to first responders. An officer arrived at the scene within two minutes, he added.
The first officers to arrive on the scene began providing first aid, including applying tourniquets, according to Bouchard. Authorities found a pistol, three empty magazines and at least 28 shell casings in the aquatic recreational area.
Investigators used the gun’s registration information to obtain the probable address of the gunman, according to the police chief. When the police arrived at the home they found a car that matched the suspect’s vehicle. Officers surrounded the home and attempted to make contact with the suspect inside, without success, Bouchard said. They sent a drone into the house and then went inside and found the suspect dead.
Bouchard said the man died from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officers found a gun next to the body that may have been the second gun the witness saw, he said.
Police officers also found a semi-automatic rifle lying on the kitchen table, Bouchard added. It is believed that the speed with which the authorities found the alleged aggressor prevented a “second chapter” of the shooting, the police chief said.
The suspect did not live in Rochester Hills and detectives still do not know why he went to that area of the park, Bouchard said.
Oakland County Police spokesman Stephen Huber identified the attacker as Michael William Nash, 42, of Shelby Township. Bouchard said the man had no criminal record, but apparently privately suffered from what he called “mental health issues.”
“We understand that he was dealing with some mental health issues, but no one that we know of was notified,” Bouchard said at a press conference.
The police chief added that detectives plan to search for any writing the attacker left behind, and search his electronic devices for a motive.
“In terms of ‘why,’ I don’t know,” Bouchard said of the motive for the attack.
Rochester Hills is located about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of Oxford, where four high school students were shot dead by a 15-year-old in 2021.
“I love my community and my heart breaks today,” said Rochester Mayor Bryan Barnett. “When I arrived at the scene of the incident I started crying because I know what an aquatic recreational area is supposed to be. It’s supposed to be a place where people gather, where families make memories, where people have fun and enjoy a Saturday afternoon, and that wasn’t the case today. “It’s a mental reset and a reminder that we live in a fragile place with fragile people.”
Saturday’s shooting came at the end of the first full week of summer vacation for students attending Rochester Community Schools.
Bouchard said Saturday’s shooting represents “a punch in the gut” for the county’s population.
“We have been through many tragedies,” the police chief said. “You know, we don’t even fully understand what happened at Oxford. And now we face another tragedy.”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said on the social platform X that she was heartbroken after learning of the shooting and was in contact with local authorities.
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