Police identify Michigan splash pad shooter but there's still no word on a motive
By: ByThe Associated Press via ABC News
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Police identify Michigan splash pad shooter but there's still no word on a motive
Michigan authorities are investigating a mass shooting at a splash pad in suburban Detroit
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. -- Authorities on Sunday identified the man who opened fire at a splash pad in suburban Detroit before taking his own life, but his motives remained unknown as investigators worked to determine if he left behind any hint of his plans.
Oakland County Sheriff's spokesperson Stephen Huber said the shooter was 42-year-old Michael William Nash of Shelby Township. Sheriff Mike Bouchard said Saturday evening that the gunman had no prior criminal history but apparently suffered privately from what the sheriff called "mental health challenges."
"It's our understanding that he was undergoing some mental health challenges, but no one that we know of was notified," Bouchard said during an evening news conference.
The splash pad shooting was one of at least four mass shootings that took place around the country Saturday night and early Sunday morning. Six people were shot in a residential neighborhood in Lathrup Village, another Detroit suburb. Seven people were shot at a party in Methuen, Massachusetts, and eight people were shot during a Juneteenth celebration in Round Rock, Texas. Two people were killed in that shooting.
Authorities said Nash drove to suburban Rochester Hills on Saturday and opened fire at a splash pad in a city park around 5 p.m. A splash pad is a recreational area with a nonslip surface where people can play in fountains and water sprays.
The sheriff said Nash fired as many as 28 times, stopping several times to reload.
In the chaos, "people were falling, getting hit, trying to run," Bouchard said. "Terrible things that unfortunately all of us in our law enforcement business have seen way too much."
The gunman was "apparently in no rush. Just calmly walked back to his car," the sheriff said.
Nine people were injured, including an 8-year-old boy who was shot in the head; his 4-year-old brother, who was shot in the leg; and the boys' mother, who was wounded in the abdomen and leg.
The 8-year-old boy and the mother were both listed in critical condition on Saturday evening. The 4-year-old was in stable condition. The six other victims, all at least 30 years old, were in stable condition on Saturday night. Huber, the sheriff's spokesperson, said all the victims' conditions were unchanged as of Sunday morning.
Nash eventually fled but apparently left his gun behind. Investigators were able to use the weapon's registration information to track him back to the home in Shelby Township he shared with his mother. When police arrived, they found a car that matched the gunman's vehicle.
Deputies surrounded the home and eventually entered to find the suspect was dead. Bouchard said the man died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Deputies discovered a handgun next to the body and a semiautomatic rifle on the kitchen table. Bouchard said Saturday that Nash may have been planning a "second chapter" to the shooting.
Nash's neighbors told the Detroit News that Nash's father died two years ago and he lived with his mother, who has been traveling the United States.
"He's a loner. The blinds are always pulled over there," neighbor Kyleen Duchene told the newspaper.
Nash's mother was "super friendly and nice" but Nash himself rarely left the house, neighbor Alex Roser said.
"And when he did, he didn't even say 'hi' back to us when we would acknowledge him," Roser said. "He was very quiet and didn't want to be a part of our community."
Bouchard said that Nash had no connections to the splash pad or any of the victims. Investigators will try to determine if he left behind any writings and examine his electronic devices in hopes of shedding light on his motive.
"In terms of the 'why,' I don't know," Bouchard said.
Rochester Hills is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of Oxford, where in 2021 a 15-year-old fatally shot four high school students. Saturday's shooting came at the end of the first full week of summer vacation for students attending Rochester Community schools.
"I love my community and my heart breaks today," Rochester Mayor Bryan Barnett said. "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."
Bouchard called the attack "a gut punch" for the county.
"We've gone through so many tragedies," the sheriff said. "We're not even fully comprehending what happened at Oxford. And, you know, now we have another complete tragedy that we're dealing with."
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There it is - four mass shootings within a 24 hour period.
The following article is dated February 16 2024 - FOUR MONTHS AGO!!!!!!!!!!!
Awful hard to get up-to-date info on this, but I'll assume that's because of shame and embarrassment, and that info is so fucking humiliating.
5000 people in 6 to 7 weeks???? Okay, gun lovers, JUSTIFY IT…Tell me about the fact that so many were suicides, or so many were accidents, or so many were self defence, and so many were because of mental illness. What I do know is that 100% of them were because someone had a gun in their hands, although I will admit that maybe a few were caused by a cat or dog pulling the trigger or someone just carelessly throwing a loaded gun down.
Let's hear it for "let's ban cars because of so many car-related deaths", or "let's ban knives because of so many stabbings"....and whatever other lame arguments are available.
Arvo Buzz...hmmm speaking of mass stabbings I am not sure if anywhere is safe these days..
Had one here the other month, in Europe and yes China, two in the last month... seems to be other countries weapon of choice for mass murder.
And the usual "mentally ill" is trotted out...in our case yes he was troppo but he no longer walks this earth and I am fine with that..
With stabbings, at least it's not as likely to be lethal, and a person has a better chance to defend themselves than they would have if the killer were using a gun from 10 feet away.
It's almost 10 p.m., I'm heading to bed, and since this article could be one where moderating might be a necessity I'm locking it for the night, but I will open it for civil commentary when I wake up in the morning.
This seed is now open for totally unexpected civil commentary.
There were seven mass shootings in the US last weekend...
Working towards a Guinness Book record?
There will be no pizza party again this week...
Are pizza parties an invitation for violence?
It's 10 p.m. again. I'll unlock this (my) tomorrow morning.
Woke up to a rainy day today - so let's see if we can find a little sunshine here.