At least 8 wounded in "random" shooting at suburban Detroit splash pad

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - At least eight people, including two children, were wounded when a gunman opened fire on a splash pad in the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills Saturday evening, authorities said. The 42-year-old suspect was later found dead by suicide following a standoff at a home in a nearby community. 

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a news briefing the male suspect pulled up in a vehicle a little after 5 p.m. local time, got out and opened fire on the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad, located at 1585 E. Auburn Rd. 

"It appears like the individual pulled up, exited a vehicle, approached the splash pad, opened fire, reloaded, opened fire, reloaded, left," Bouchard said. "It appears very random at this point...No connectivity to the victims." 

The sheriff initially reported that nine to 10 people had been shot, but clarified in a second news conference late Saturday night that eight people had been injured. 

The victims ranged in age from 4 to 78, Bouchard said. An 8-year-old boy was in critical condition with a head injury. Also in critical condition was a 39-year-old woman from the same family. 

The rest of the victims were in stable condition with various gunshot wounds. At least four area hospitals were treating the victims. 

After fleeing the shooting, the suspect, whose name has not been released, was discovered to have gone to a house within a half-mile of the splash pad, Bouchard said. Authorities surrounded the barricaded home in Shelby Township and a standoff ensued. 

A little after 10 p.m., both Rochester police and the sheriff's office reported that the suspect was found dead by suicide inside the home. 

"We determined who we thought was potentially involved from some of the evidence on scene very quickly, went immediately there," Bouchard said. "A vehicle that matched what had been described as a vehicle leaving the scene was there. So we put up a quick perimeter. And deputies on scene apparently heard or saw the individual that they're trying to communicate with."

During the shooting, the gunman fired potentially 28 times and reloaded multiple times, Bouchard said. A 9mm Glock semi-automatic handgun was recovered from the scene, along with three empty magazines. 

Bouchard explained that deputies were able to trace the weapon's registration to the address in Shelby Township where the suspect was believed to reside with his mother. 

Within an hour of the shooting, authorities had "containment" on the home, "setting a hard perimeter" using SWAT, helicopters and drones, Bouchard said.

After not receiving contact from the suspect, they breached the home, and using drones, found the suspect dead inside. Bouchard also showed reporters a photo of a semiautomatic weapon which was found on a kitchen table. The suspect's mother was not home at the time of the standoff, Bouchard disclosed.   

"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," Bouchard said. "That there was probably something else, a second chapter, potentially."

Bouchard said investigators still have no motive in the shooting. The suspect "did not have a criminal history that we're aware of," and detectives have so far found no link between the suspect and the location of the shooting.  

Jared Schmidt, a Rochester Hills resident, told CBS News he was in the area when he heard "a lot of cars squealing, tires, people racing through the neighborhood, and a woman screaming that there was an active shooter."

Schmidt said he jumped in his car and drove to the splash pad, where he says he found "a lot of blood," and began providing first aid to the victims, with tourniquets and pressure dressings. He said among the injured was a friend of his.

"I know these people," Schmidt said. "This is my neighborhood...These are family members...This is horrible."  

In his earlier remarks, Bouchard also referenced the 2021 mass shooting at Oxford High School in the nearby city of Oxford, in which a teen gunman killed four fellow students. 

"It's a gut punch, obviously, for us here in Oakland County. We've gone through so many tragedies," Bouchard said. "We're not even fully comprehending what happened at Oxford, and now we have another complete tragedy that we're dealing with." 

In a statement posted to social media, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said that she was "heartbroken to learn about the shooting in Rochester Hills. We are monitoring the situation as updates continue to come in, and are in touch with local officials."

The city of Rochester Hills is located about 25 miles north of Detroit. 

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