Shooting at Michigan Splash Pad: What We Know

Multiple people were wounded Saturday in a shooting at a splash pad in Rochester Hills, Michigan, according to law enforcement officials.

The shooting occurred just after 5 p.m. EST.

Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard told reporters Saturday night that “it sounds like we have nine, maybe 10 victims with gunshot wounds, victims of varying kinds of injuries.”

One of the victims was 8 years old, according to Bouchard. The victims were taken to hospitals, and their conditions were not immediately known.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan K. Barnett told reporters. “Complete thoughts with the families right now.”

A 9-mm Glock handgun and three empty magazines were recovered at the scene, Bouchard said. According to the Detroit News, police determined a possible suspect from evidence on the scene.

“So, preliminarily, it looks like the suspect fired potentially 28 times, reloading multiple times,” Bouchard said. “He got out of the car, went to the steps, fired, reloaded as he ascended the steps.

Authorities said they believed they had a possible suspect contained in a home nearby. Officials do not know if there is anyone in the home with the gunman. As of 9:50 p.m. EST, there are no reports that the subject has been detained.

Rochester Hills is about 15 miles south of Oxford, where in 2021 a 15-year-old shot and killed four high school students and injured seven others.

“It’s a gut punch,” Bouchard told reporters. “We’re not fully comprehending what happened at Oxford (High School) and now we have another complete tragedy that we’re dealing with.”

#BREAKING 🚨: Police are searching for a gunman who shot at multiple people at a splash pad in Oakland County.

The shooting occurred at Spencer Park Splash Pad on E Auburn Rd near John R, in the city of Rochester Hills. pic.twitter.com/o7HnqgimMy

— Metro Detroit News (@metrodetroitn) June 15, 2024

U.S. Rep. John James, a Republican who lives in Shelby Township and represents Rochester Hills in Congress, said gun violence is an “American epidemic.”

“Under no circumstances in this country, particularly in Rochester Hills, should fathers be spending Father’s Day in a hospital,” James told reporters at the scene. “I’m looking forward to continuing to work — without politics. This is an American epidemic that we need to fix, gun violence needs to stop, and we are now most recently hit hardest by it.”

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “Kids deserve to be safe from gun violence – whether at school, at home, or at a splash pad. Whatever we are doing, it’s not enough.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said on X that she was heartbroken to learn of the shooting and was in touch with local officials.

Update: 6/15/2024, 10 p.m.: This article has been updated with additional information.

This is a developing news story that will be updated with additional information.