No word on motive for attack that injured 9 people

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

0 3 minutes read

Officials from the Oakland County Sheriff's Department, the Rochester Hills Fire Department and other jurisdictions secure the scene of a shooting at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Rochester Hills, Michigan ( Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Authorities on Sunday identified the man who opened fire at a water playground in suburban Detroit before killing himself, but his motives remained unknown as investigators worked to determine whether he had left behind any trace of his plans. .

Oakland County Sheriff's spokesman Stephen Huber said the shooter was Michael William Nash, 42, of Shelby Township. Sheriff Mike Bouchard said Saturday evening that the shooter had no criminal history, but was apparently privately suffering from what the sheriff called “mental health issues.”

Authorities said Nash went to suburban Rochester Hills on Saturday and opened fire around 5 p.m. at a city park's “splash pad,” a water play area.

The sheriff said Nash fired as many as 28 times, stopping several times to reload.

In the chaos, “people were falling, getting hit, trying to run,” Bouchard said.

The shooter was “apparently in no hurry.” I just calmly walked back to his car,” the sheriff said.

Nine people were injured, including an 8-year-old boy who was shot in the head; his 4-year-old brother, shot in the leg; and the boys' mother, injured in the abdomen and leg.

The 8-year-old boy and his mother were both in critical condition Saturday evening. The 4-year-old was in stable condition. The other six victims, all aged at least 30, were in stable condition Saturday evening. Huber, the sheriff's spokesman, said the condition of all victims was unchanged as of Sunday morning.

Nash eventually fled but apparently left his gun behind. Investigators were able to use the gun's registration information to track him to the Shelby Township home he shared with his mother. When police arrived, they found a car that matched the shooter's.

Police surrounded the house and eventually entered to find the suspect dead. Bouchard said the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officers found a handgun next to the body and a semi-automatic rifle on the kitchen table. Bouchard said Saturday that Nash may be considering a “second chapter” of the shooting.

Nash's neighbors told the Detroit News that Nash's father died two years ago and that he lived with his mother, who was traveling in the United States.

“He’s a loner. The blinds are always drawn there,” neighbor Kyleen Duchene told the newspaper.

Nash's mother was “super friendly and nice,” but Nash himself rarely left the house, neighbor Alex Roser said.

“And when he did, he didn't even say 'hi' to us when we wanted to greet him,” Roser said. “He was very quiet and didn’t want to be part of our community.”

Bouchard said Nash had no connection to the wading pool or any of the victims. Investigators will try to determine whether he left any writings and will examine his electronic devices in hopes of shedding light on his motivations.

“As for the ‘why,’ I don’t know,” Bouchard said.

Rochester Hills is about 15 miles south of Oxford, where in 2021 a 15-year-old fatally shot four high school students. Saturday's shooting occurred at the end of the first full week of summer vacation for Rochester Community Schools students.

“My heart breaks today,” said Rochester Mayor Bryan Barnett. “When I got on stage, I started crying because I know what a jet of water is supposed to be. It's supposed to be a place where people come together, where families create memories, where people have fun.

Bouchard called the attack “a gut punch” to the county.

“We’ve been through so much tragedy,” the sheriff said. “We don’t even fully understand what happened at Oxford. And, you know, we're now faced with another total tragedy that we're dealing with.

Read more at The Mercury News