No motive identified in Splash Pad shooting

June 17, 2024

Jessica Mathews / [email protected]

No motive has been identified in connection with a shooting at a splash pad this weekend in Rochester Hills.

A press conference was held this afternoon by the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff Mike Bouchard said they have not established a motive and the office has no information on prior contacts, arrests or criminal history.

Bouchard said they seized a cell phone and have so far found nothing of interest or corroborating information regarding motive or what set the shooter in motion, but that it is still a work in progress.

Bouchard said a 9mm handgun was recovered at the scene. He said they believe the shooter had two handguns at the scene, took one with him and left the other. Bouchard added that they have now identified 36 shell casings on scene from shots fired.

Bouchard said two of the nine people injured in the shooting remain hospitalized in critical condition. That includes an eight-year-old boy who authorities said Monday had made “incredible progress” despite being shot in the head.

Police say Michael Nash, 42, fired up to 36 times, stopping several times to reload. Nash then returned home and committed suicide. He apparently had no connection to the victims or the wading pool.
Bouchard said Nash told his mother that the government was following him and that he was walking around the house with weapons.

Bouchard said: “Obviously it seems to me, as a layman, that he has mental health issues. At this stage, we still do not have any information made known to anyone.”

Nash's mother lived with him but was not home when the shooting occurred.

The random attack in Rochester Hills was one of four mass shootings in the United States Saturday and Sunday morning.

AP Photos.