Eight people shot at Rochester Hills splash pad in 'random' shooting; reports say suspect died at Shelby Township home – Macomb Daily

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

1 4 minutes read

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard and Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett provide initial information on a mass shooting at a city splash pad on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Stephen Frye/MediaNews Group)

Eight people were shot Saturday afternoon at a splash pad in Rochester Hills in what police say may have been a random event.

Around 10:30 p.m., WXYZ reported that the suspect was dead.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard provided a preliminary report on what happened along Auburn Road in the southeast part of the city. At the time, he said the information was very fluid and preliminary because detectives were at different hospitals learning about the victims.

It was 5:11 p.m. on Saturday, June 15, when a sheriff's sergeant heard an initial report of a shooting through a scanner app and responded immediately.

Bouchard, during his 7:30 p.m. news conference, said investigators were beginning to take the full picture of what happened, saying the number of victims, their ages and their conditions were being determined. Detectives and victims' advocates were speaking to people at four area hospitals.

“One of the people shot was 8 (years old),” Bouchard said.

Two Oakland County Sheriff's vehicles sped away from the scene after 7 p.m. Shortly before Saturday, the sheriff said the suspect had been confined in a nearby home. (Stephen Frye / MediaNews Group)

Meanwhile, police and officers were at a house where they say the suspect lives, trying to talk to him.

“We believe we have a suspicious individual confined nearby,” Bouchard said. “We are surrounding the house. We try to speak to this person with no response.

The sheriff's office later said the suspect was being held at a nearby home in nearby Shelby Township.

According to their initial information, the suspect pulled a vehicle up to the area and began shooting a Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun in the area of the splash zone.

The police recovered the abandoned weapon as well as three empty magazines.

“It appears the suspect fired potentially 28 times, reloading multiple times,” Bouchard said. “It appears the individual stopped, exited the vehicle, approached the splash pad, opened fire, reloaded, opened fire,” Bouchard said. “It seems random, no connectivity with the victims.”

The shooter was approximately 20 feet from the area where the victims were located.

“It appears to be an active random shooting,” Bouchard said.

It was the second mass shooting to occur in Oakland County on Saturday, with police in the village of Lathrup reporting that six people were injured just after midnight in a shooting in what some reports considered like a party in a house.

Media lined Auburn Road in Rochester Hills as police investigate a mass shooting and search for the suspected shooter. (Stephen Frye / MediaNews Group)

Fifteen hours later, a massive police presence with numerous units from the Oakland County Sheriff's Office was along Auburn Road between Dequindre and John R roads, an area that in recent years has seen an improvement in urban landscape, which included a splash zone and a picturesque pedestrian zone. Nearby is a restaurant, Brain Freeze, which sells soft-serve ice cream, hot dogs and other treats, part of the area's walkable appeal.

The neighborhood is next to one of Rochester Hills' middle schools and within about a mile are two of the city's parks – Spencer Park and Borden Park, both along John R Road – and the Holy Family Regional School. A little over a week ago, classes at Rochester Community Schools ended for the school year, and just a day earlier, Rochester Adams girls soccer won the Division 1 title of the 'State.

“It’s obviously a gut punch for us here in Oakland County,” Bouchard said when asked about another mass shooting. “We have been through so much tragedy. We have yet to fully understand what happened at Oxford (and the high school shooting).”

The city's mayor asked people to avoid the area, especially as police units worked to capture the shooter and the large police response closed Dequindre Road later after dark.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett told reporters. “I appreciate the immediate response from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. I can't imagine what it's like to arrive on a stage like this.

“Certainly, all thoughts are with the families at this time. This is a great community and it's heartbreaking to see this happening here.

Numerous reports on social media initially identified Spencer Park as the location of the shooting, although updates indicated that the shooting took place at the splash pad and that the park may have been searched for. search for the shooter.

U.S. Rep. John James, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard and Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett speak to the media to provide initial information on a mass shooting in a splash pad on Saturday, June 15 2024. (Stephen Frye / MediaNews Group)

Some people have been asked to shelter in place in some locations.

“The shelter in place has been lifted,” the city of Rochester Hills posted on Facebook at 8:45 p.m. “We are still asking people to avoid the area of Auburn between Dequindre and Culbertson.”