9 People Trying to Beat the Heat Near Detroit Are Shot

Gunman opens fire at a 'splash pad' in Rochester Hills
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 16, 2024 5:59 AM CDT
9 People Trying to Beat the Heat Near Detroit Are Shot
Police respond to the scene of a shooting at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Rochester Hills, Mich.   (WXYZ via AP)

Nine children and adults who were trying to cool off on a hot day near Detroit were shot and wounded at a watery "splash pad" inside a public park on Saturday. The gunman was later found dead at a nearby home after the apparently random attack in Rochester Hills, say police.

  • Shooting: Police say the gunman got out of his vehicle at the streetside Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad about 5:10pm and started shooting, reports the Detroit News. Based on shell casings at the scene, he fired 28 times with a handgun or handguns.
  • Victims: An 8-year-old boy was in critical condition after being shot in the head, reports the AP. His mother, shot in the abdomen, also was in critical condition, and his 4-year-old brother was in stable condition with a leg wound. The other six people wounded were in stable condition. All were age 30 or older, including a 78-year-old man.

  • Suspect: Police found a handgun at the scene and traced it to a home about a half-mile from the scene of the shooting, per CNN. They found the body of a 42-year-old while male inside with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police say he appears to have killed himself as officers surrounded the residence.
  • No motive: Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the shooting appeared to be random, given that the suspect has "no connectivity to the victims." The investigation is continuing. "Under no circumstances is it normal for ice cream cones and flip flops to be strewn amongst blood and bullet casings," said Michigan Rep. John James Saturday night.
(More Detroit stories.)

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