At least 9 people shot, including 2 children, at Michigan recreation center before suspect is found dead, police say

A suspect in the shooting that injured at least nine people at a recreation area in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Saturday was found dead at a nearby home, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.

The suspect, a 42-year-old man whose name has not yet been released, was found at a nearby home after police tracked the weapon from the shooting scene to the address about a half mile from the crime scene, the sheriff said at a news conference Saturday night.

“In my worst nightmare, I couldn’t imagine standing up here again talking about another active shooter,” Bouchard said at a news conference Saturday evening.

It appears the suspect had pulled up to the recreation area at Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills, exited a vehicle and opened fire roughly 20 feet away, reloading multiple times, Bouchard said. The suspect fired “potentially 28 times,” the sheriff said.

The incident appears to be random and authorities have yet to determine a motivation for the attack, he added.

At least two of the victims are children, authorities said. One of the victims, an 8-year-old boy, sustained a gunshot wound to the head and is in critical condition, Bouchard said. A 4-year-old had a wound to the thigh and is in stable condition, he said. Their 39-year-old mother with wounds to the abdomen and leg was also in critical condition.

Six other gunshot victims, including three women and three men from 30 to 78 years old, were in stable condition.

Rochester Hills is about 27 miles north of Detroit.

Authorities initially provided conflicting numbers on how many people were shot as hospitals began reporting gunshot victims showing up for treatment. The sheriff later confirmed at least nine were shot, including the mother and her two sons and a husband and wife.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced in a statement on X she is in contact with local officials following the shooting.

“I am heartbroken to learn about the shooting in Rochester Hills,” she wrote. “We are monitoring the situation as updates continue to come in, and are in touch with local officials.”

“This is a great community and it’s heartbreaking to see this happen here,” said Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett.

Weapon on scene leads authorities to nearby home

The first 911 call alerting police to the incident was made around 5:11 p.m. Bouchard said a Rochester Hills sergeant was listening to a new technology that securely livestreams 911 calls directly to first responders and responded to the scene within two minutes, before the call was dispatched.

The suspect had already left the scene and authorities located a handgun and three empty magazines at the scene.

“The one weapon on scene led us to the address that was registered to that address, which is why we got so quickly to the home,” Bouchard said Saturday night.

After making attempts to contact the suspect, law enforcement “breached the home and deployed drones to begin an examination of the home,” and were able to locate the deceased suspect, the sheriff said.

“We brought in assets including our SWAT, our helicopter, our drones and tried to make contact with the person, tried to bring that person out peacefully and to no avail, had no contact back,” Bouchard said at a news conference Saturday evening.

A drone that flew into the home while police surrounded it also found what appeared to be an “AR-platform” firearm on the kitchen table, Bouchard said Saturday night.

As deputies surrounded the house, the sheriff advised those sheltering in the parks to go home and asked people to stay away from the area if they are sheltering at a nearby location.

The suspect was not known to authorities until they did a “quick investigation” and determined who they believed was involved based on evidence from the crime scene.

“A vehicle that matched what had been described as a vehicle leaving the scene was there,” the sheriff said. “We put up a quick perimeter and deputies on scene apparently heard or saw the individual they are trying to communicate with.”

Investigators believe there are potentially more weapons in the home but it is unclear if the suspect has access to them, according to Bouchard.

The sheriff called the incident a “gut punch,” and stressed the community is still reeling from the 2021 shooting at a high school in Oxford, located 15 miles north of Rochester Hills, when four students were killed.

“We’re not even fully comprehending what happened at Oxford, and now we have another complete tragedy that we’re dealing with,” he said.

CNN has reached out to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office for more information.