At least 9 injured in 'random' shooting in suburban Detroit splash pad, officials say

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – At least nine people were injured when a gunman opened fire Saturday evening at a wading pool in the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills, authorities said. The suspect is believed to be barricaded in a nearby house.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said during a press briefing that the suspect pulled up in a vehicle shortly after 5 p.m. local time, got out and opened fire at Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad, located at 1585 E. Auburn Rd.

“It appears the individual stopped, exited a vehicle, approached the area of ​​water spray, opened fire, reloaded, opened fire, reloaded, and was gone,” Bouchard said. “It seems very random at this point… No connectivity with the victims.”

Bouchard said nine to 10 people were shot and at least one child, aged 8, was in critical condition. At least four area hospitals were treating victims “with different types of injuries,” Bouchard said. At least one of the patients underwent surgery.

The suspect, whose name has not been released, was reportedly “confined” to a home less than a half-mile from the spraying area, Bouchard said.

“We determined very quickly who we thought was potentially involved based on some evidence at the scene and we went to the scene immediately,” Bouchard said. “A vehicle that matched what was described as a vehicle leaving the scene was there. So we quickly established a perimeter. And officers on scene apparently heard or saw the individual they were trying to communicate with.”

The shooter potentially fired 28 times and reloaded several times, Bouchard said. A Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun was recovered at the scene, along with three empty magazines.

Bouchard too reference the 2021 mass shooting at Oxford High School in neighboring Oxford, in which a teenage gunman killed four classmates.

“It's obviously a gut punch for us here in Oakland County. We've been through so much tragedy,” Bouchard said. “We don't even fully understand what happened in Oxford, and now we're faced with another total tragedy that we're dealing with.”

In a statement released on Saturday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said: “I am heartbroken to learn of the shootings in Rochester Hills. We are monitoring the situation as updates continue to come in and are in contact with local authorities.

The city of Rochester Hills is located approximately 25 miles north of Detroit.