Shooting at Michigan splash pad leaves 9 injured, including children; suspect dead

Police in Michigan responded to a shooting Saturday evening at a splash pad outside Detroit that left nine people injured, according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.

The nine victims at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills included an 8-year-old boy who was in critical condition Sunday with a wound to the head and a 4-year-old boy who was stable with a wound to the thigh. A 39-year-old woman shot in the abdomen and leg was also in critical condition.

Bouchard said a mother and two children and a husband and wife were among the victims. The eldest was a 78-year-old man who was shot in the abdomen and was stable.

"It appears the individual pulled up, exited a vehicle, approached the splash pad, opened fire. Reloaded. Opened fire. Reloaded. Left. It was very random. At this point, there is no connectivity to the victims," Bouchard said, adding that the shooter was just 20 feet away from the victims. A weapon, a 9mm Glock, was recovered at the scene along with three magazines. The gunman fired 28 shots, according to Bouchard.

The shooter was identified by Bouchard as Michael William Nash, 42. He was previously described by authorities as a white man who lived with his mother. He had no criminal history, according to Bouchard, and was believed to have had mental health challenges.

Detectives are investigating Nash's motives. Bouchard said the shooter had no connection to the victims and did not live in Rochester Hills.

Nash died by suicide after being "contained" at a home in nearby Shelby Township for several hours following the attack. Bouchard said after attempts to contact the suspect failed, drones were deployed to examine the home. "We located the individual deceased in the home."

The examination also found another weapon in the home on the kitchen table. Bouchard said Nash had "what looks to be a semi-automatic .223, but I don't know for a fact until that scene's processed."

"What I do know is, that individual was in that house with that weapon, and I'm not sure how many other weapons are in that house – again, it's still an active scene being processed – but I believe that because we had quick containment on him, that if he had planned to do anything else, and it wouldn't surprise me, because having that on the kitchen table is not an everyday activity, that there was probably something else; a second chapter, potentially."

"I love my community, and my heart breaks today," said Bryan Barnett, mayor of Rochester Hills. "When I got on scene I started to cry. Because I know what a splash pad is supposed to be. It's supposed to be a place where people gather, where families make memories, where people have fun and enjoy a Saturday afternoon, and it wasn't today. And as you heard, the victims, families, husbands and wives, what normally happens in our city didn't happen today."

A splash pad, sometimes also called a spray pool, is a recreation area, generally in a public park, for shallow water play. The Brookland Plaza Splash Pad contains multiple water spouts, fountains, small hills for climbing, grass and seating.

U.S. Rep. John James, who represents the district, said, "Fathers should not be spending Father's Day in the hospital."

"I am heartbroken to learn about the shooting in Rochester Hills," Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a post on X. "We are monitoring the situation as updates continue to come in, and are in touch with local officials."

Oakland Community Health Network announced mental health services would be available Sunday for the victims, their families or anyone at the splash pad at the time of the shooting.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan splash pad shooting: 9 injured in Rochester Hills