An active shooter opened fire at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills on Saturday, unleashing 28 rounds on families, including children, enjoying a warm summer day.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said 9 people were injured, some in critical condition. The suspect, he said, was found in a Shelby Township home, dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was identified as Michael William Nash, 42.
Detectives are investigating the motive of the suspect, who Bouchard said had no connection to the victims and did not live in Rochester Hills. The shooting has been described as “random.”
As of 8 a.m. Sunday, Bouchard’s department said there were no updates on the tragedy.
The Detroit Free Press will continue to report on the case. Here’s what we know so far.
Rochester Hills shooting: What happened
Nash pulled up to Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad around 5:11 p.m. Saturday, exited a vehicle, walked up the stairs to the splash pad’s platform, and opened fire, Bouchard said. Nash was about 20 feet away from the victims, he said.
Nash then reloaded his weapon, fired again at the victims, reloaded once more, and calmly left the scene, Bouchard said.
At least 28 shots were fired, Bouchard said. A weapon, a 9mm Glock, was recovered at the scene along with three magazines. The gun recovered at the scene was registered to the Shelby Township home the suspect was contained at, Bouchard said.
Police responded to the scene in less than 2 minutes, Bouchard said. By then, the suspect had left.
Authorities described the scene as chaotic — people were scrambling, falling and getting hit by bullets as they tried to run; ice cream cones and flip flops were covered in blood.
What we know about the Rochester Hills shooting victims
Bouchard said the nine victims of the splash pad tragedy included an 8-year-old boy who was in critical condition with a wound to the head and a 4-year-old boy who was stable with a wound to the thigh. A 39-year-old woman shot in the abdomen and leg was also in critical condition.
The three were members of the same family. The eldest victim was a 78-year-old man who was shot in the abdomen and is stable.
The remaining victims suffered various injuries and are in stable condition, Bouchard said. Most of the remaining victims were in their thirties.
Bouchard said among the victims are a mother and two children and a husband and wife.
Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett said one of the victims is the spouse of a city employee.
What we know about the Rochester Hills shooting suspect
Police described the suspect, Michael William Nash, as a 42-year-old male who lived with his mother. Bouchard said the man had no criminal history, but was believed to have had mental health challenges.
Nash died by suicide after being “contained” at a Shelby Township home for several hours following the attack, Bouchard said. Bouchard said after attempts to contact the suspect failed, drones were deployed to examine the home, where Nash was found dead.
Inside the home on the kitchen table was what looked like a semi-automatic rifle, Bouchard said. He suggested Nash may have had plans for a “second chapter.”
“If he had planned to do anything else, and it wouldn’t surprise me, because having that on the kitchen table is not an everyday activity,” Bouchard said Saturday.
Bouchard described the shooting as “very random” and “bizarre.” Nash has no known connection to the victims, he said. Detectives are still working to determine a motive.
Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. She can be contacted at 313-264-0442 orasahouri@freepress.com.
