Shooting at paddling pool in suburban Detroit leaves 9 injured, including 2 children

ROCHESTER HILLS, Michigan: Nine people were injured, including an 8-year-old boy who was shot in the head and was in critical condition, after a gunman opened fire at a wading pool in a Detroit suburb where families were gathering to escape the summer heat on Saturday. Law enforcement followed a suspect to a home, where the person shot himself, authorities said.

At least two of the victims were children, authorities said. Authorities initially said they believed at least 10 people were shot and injured in the shooting in Rochester Hills, but that figure was later revised after checking with area hospitals.

Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard provided information about the 8-year-old during a nightly news conference. He also said the boy's 4-year-old brother was injured in the leg and was in stable condition, while the child's mother was in critical condition after being injured in the abdomen. and leg.

The other six victims, all aged 30 or older, were in stable condition, Bouchard said. They included a husband and wife couple and a 78-year-old man.

The shooting happened shortly after 5 p.m. in a city park that includes a recreation area with a non-slip surface where people can turn on jets and water fountains to play. Bouchard said it appeared to be random, with the shooter heading to the park, walking to the splash pad and shooting up to 28 times, stopping several times to reload.

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

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

Police heard the 911 call reporting the shooting as it came in, Bouchard said, because the agency uses a service that simultaneously sends emergency calls to first responders. A police officer arrived on the scene within two minutes, he said.

Bouchard said the first deputies who arrived immediately began providing first aid, including applying tourniquets. Officers were also able to quickly find a likely address, and a car matching the suspect's was located at the residence.

Officers surrounded the home and attempted to make contact with the suspect inside, to no avail, Bouchard said. After deploying a drone, they eventually entered the home and found the suspect dead.

Another weapon was found inside, and the suspect's quick containment may have prevented a “second chapter” of the shooting, the sheriff said.

The suspect did not live in Rochester Hills and investigators do not yet know why he went to the splash pad, according to Bouchard.

A handgun and three empty magazines were found at the scene of the shooting, the sheriff said.

Police cordoned off the area with tape and dozens of yellow markers lay on the ground among colorful folding chairs.

“When I got to the scene, I started crying because I know what a splash pad is supposed to be,” said Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett, a place where people gather and relax. have fun.

The shooting was a reminder “that we live in a fragile place,” Barnett 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.

Bouchard called it a “gut punch” for the county.

“We’ve had so much tragedy,” the sheriff said. “You know, 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.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said on social platform X that she was heartbroken to learn of the shooting and was in contact with local authorities.