9 people injured in shooting at Michigan splash pad; suspected gunman identified

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. — Nine people were injured on Saturday after shots were fired at a splash pad in suburban Detroit, authorities said. The suspected gunman is also dead, according to police.

Police identify shooter

Update 4:15 p.m. EDT June 16: During a news conference on Sunday, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard identified the suspected gunman who opened fire at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills as Michael William Nash, 42, of Shelby Township, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Authorities said that Nash fired 28 rounds at the families at the splash pad, including children.

Bouchard told reporters that Nash lived with his mother and had no criminal history. The sheriff added that Nash was believed to have had mental health issues.

“It’s our understanding that he was undergoing some mental health challenges, but no one that we know of was notified,” Bouchard said.

Nash died at his mother’s home after a standoff with police, Bouchard said. Nash’s mother was not at the residence when the standoff occurred.

8-year-old boy in critical condition; 9 people injured

Update 11:30 p.m. EDT June 15: According to Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, an 8-year-old boy was wounded in the head and was in critical condition after the shooting at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills, The Detroit News reported.

A 4-year-old boy was also wounded in the thigh but was considered to be in stable condition, the sheriff said.

The two boys are related, WJBK-TV reported. Their 39-year-old mother, who was shot in the abdomen, was in critical condition, according to the television station.

According to the sheriff’s office, the other victims include:

• A 39-year-old woman with wounds to the back and arm, who is in stable condition;
• A 30-year-old man with a right leg wound who is in stable condition;
• A 78-year-old man with an abdomen wound who is in stable condition;
• A 37-year-old woman with a hand wound, who is in stable condition;
• A 40-year-old man with a right knee wound who is in stable condition;
• A 30-year-old woman who is in stable condition.

“In my worst nightmare, I couldn’t imagine standing up here talking about another active shooter,” Bouchard said at a late-night news conference.

Bouchard initially said there were as many as ten shooting victims with “varying kinds of injuries,” The Detroit News reported. The number was reset to nine because one of the hospitals double-counted one of the victims, according to the sheriff.

Sheriff: Suspected shooter dead

Update 10:43 p.m. EDT June 15: According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the man suspected of opening fire at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills, Michigan is dead, WXYZ-TV reported. Authorities said the 42-year-old gunman died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The sheriff’s office also said that eight people -- including two children -- were injured when the gunman opened fire, the Detroit Free Press reported. Authorities originally said the number of people hurt was “nine or 10,” according to The Associated Press. That number was revised after authorities checked with area hospitals.

At least ‘9 or 10′ injured

Update 7:53 p.m. EDT June 15: During a news conference Saturday, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said that “nine, maybe 10″ people were injured at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The youngest victim was 8 years old, the sheriff told reporters.

“It’s a gut punch,” Bouchard said. “We’re not fully comprehending what happened at Oxford (2021 shooting that killed four students and injured seven others at Oxford High School) and now we have another complete tragedy that we’re dealing with.”

The sheriff said that it was believed that the shooting was random. Bouchard added that the shooter “exited a car and opened fire” at the water park at about 5:11 p.m. EDT.

He added that the shooter reloaded several times. Bouchard said a 9mm Glock semiautomatic handgun was recovered at the scene. Three empty magazines were recovered by investigators, and the sheriff said that possibly up to 28 shots were fired.

Bouchard said that the suspect “was contained nearby” at a residence.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan K. Barnett told reporters. “Complete thoughts with the families right now.”

“Fathers should not be spending Father’s Day in the hospital,” U.S. Rep. John James, R-Farmington Hills, who represents the district, told reporters.

‘Numerous wounded victims’

Update 7:38 p.m. EDT June 15: The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said on social media that the area around the splash pad was “still an active crime scene and we potentially have the suspect contained nearby, but we asked for the moment people stay away from the area.”

“We have numerous wounded victims.”

Original report: According to the Rochester Police Department and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the shooting occurred at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills, Michigan, The Detroit News reported.

Authorities said the shooting occurred shortly after 5 p.m. EDT, according to WJBK-TV.

“There are multiple people injured,” Rochester police said in a Facebook post.

Stephen Huber, a spokesman for the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed at least five people were shot, but he did not know whether there were any fatalities, The News reported. The whereabouts of the shooter or shooters were unknown, police said.

“We don’t know a lot yet,” Huber told The Detroit News. “It’s five shots and maybe six.”

Rochester officials said that officers of the Rochester Hills Sub Station of Oakland County Sheriff’s Office are at the scene and are in charge of the investigation, WXYZ-TV reported.

It was unclear what led to the shooting.

“We don’t know if there are any fatals, the conditions of victims, if they’re male, female, adults or children,” Huber said, according to The News.

Rochester Hills is 27 miles north of downtown Detroit.

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