Michigan splash zone shooting: Suspect commits suicide after injuring 9 people, leaving 8-year-old in critical condition

A gunman opened fire on a paddling pool in a Detroit suburb, wounding nine people, including two children and their mother, on Saturday. According to authorities, the suspect, followed by law enforcement to his home, was found shot to death.

The Associated Press reported that authorities initially believed at least 10 people were shot and injured in the Rochester Hills shooting. However, this figure was later revised after authorities consulted area hospitals.

Among the victims, an 8-year-old boy who was shot in the head was found in critical condition, said Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard. In addition, the boy's mother was injured in the abdomen and leg, while his 4-year-old brother is in stable condition but suffering from a leg injury.

Read also | June 16 shooting in Texas leaves 3 dead, several injured in round rock

Where did the Michigan shooting take place?

Reports claim the incident took place at a wading pool in the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills just after 5 p.m. Families had gathered there to beat the heat because the city park where the shooting occurred had a recreation area with a non-slip surface where water jets and fountains water could be turned on for fun.

According to the Oakland County Sheriff, the attack was apparently random, as the shooter drove to the park and fired approximately 28 times after walking to the slash pad area. Additionally, a witness reportedly informed authorities that the shooter appeared to have used two handguns. However, the sheriff later noted that this had not yet been confirmed.

Bouchard said that amid the chaos, “people were falling, getting hit, trying to run away,” essentially “terrible things that unfortunately all of us in our law enforcement sector have seen far too much.” “.

After this apparently “random” attack, the shooter “simply calmly returned to his car”. He was “apparently in no hurry.”

First responders immediately responded to the emergency 911 call when police heard it when the report of the shooting came in. Bouchard said an officer was on scene within two minutes.

Read also | The United States prepares for a record heat wave, and creative measures are implemented to protect vulnerable populations

Has the shooter been apprehended?

The police appear to have tracked the man and surrounded his home. They initially attempted to contact the suspect inside, but received no response. Finally, they sent a drone inside the residence. Authorities quickly found him dead inside the home.

They discovered another weapon, which the sheriff later showed in a photo depicting a semi-automatic rifle.

As the investigation continued, authorities revealed that the suspect did not live in the area. They haven't yet figured out what motivated him to go to the wading pool. The suspect's name has not yet been released, but the sheriff described him as a 42-year-old white man who apparently lived with his mother.

In addition to locating a semi-automatic rifle, investigators found another handgun that they believed had been used by the man to kill himself. At the crime scene, authorities previously recovered a handgun, three empty magazines and 28 spent shell casings.

Rochester Hills Mayor Brayn Barnett also commented on the case, highlighting the “fragility” of our times: “When I got to the scene, I started crying because I know what's supposed to be a paddling pool. »

Even Bouchard called it “a gut punch” to the nation, especially since they weren't planning to “go into Father's Day weekend with this kind of tragedy that will deeply affect families forever “.