Nine people were wounded, including an eight-year-old boy left in critical condition, in a shooting Saturday at a splash pad in the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills, Michigan, and the suspect died by suicide after being tracked to a home by law enforcement, according to authorities.
At least two of the victims were children, including the eight-year-old boy, who was struck in the head, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in an update at a press conference late Saturday night. Bouchard initially said at an earlier press conference that as many as 10 people were believed to have suffered gunshot wounds from the shooting, but the number was lowered after checking with local hospitals.
Bouchard said the suspect appeared to have exited a vehicle, started shooting and then left the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in a “random act.”
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The suspect was “contained,” and law enforcement, including SWAT and other armored vehicles, had a perimeter around the home where the suspect was located, Bouchard said. The suspect then died by suicide, he said.
Another weapon was found inside, and law enforcement detecting the suspect quickly may have prevented a “second chapter” to the shooting, the sheriff said.
Bouchard said deputies were at the splash pad within two minutes of receiving the call at 5:11 p.m.
Investigators recovered a 9mm Glock pistol and three magazines, meaning the suspect may have fired 28 times and reloaded “multiple times,” Bouchard said.
Bouchard said the mother and the four-year-old brother of the eight-year-old boy in critical condition had also been shot. He said the four-year-old was wounded in the leg and was in stable condition and the mother was in critical condition after she was wounded in the abdomen and leg.
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The other six victims, who are all 30-years-old or older, were listed in stable condition, according to Bouchard. These victims included a husband-and-wife and a 78-year-old man.
The sheriff said the first deputies who arrived at the scene immediately began providing first aid, including tourniquets.
The gunman was “apparently in no rush. Just calmly walked back to his car,” the sheriff said.
“It’s a gut punch obviously for us in Oakland County,” Bouchard said. “We’ve gone through so many tragedies.”
“We’re not even fully comprehending what happened in Oxford,” he added, referring to the deadly 2021 Oxford High School shooting.
Rochester Hills is about 15 miles south of Oxford, where a 15-year-old shot and killed four high school students.
The suspect in Saturday’s shooting did not live in Rochester Hills, and it is unclear why he went to the splash pad, Bouchard said.
Corewell Health said in a statement: “Our hearts are with those who were impacted by the shooting.” Corewell confirmed it is treating some of the victims, but will not be providing any additional details.
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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that she was heartbroken to learn of the shooting and was in touch with local officials.
The sheriff’s office asked people to avoid the area of the shooting.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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