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Police identify suspect in shooting at splash pad in Michigan; motive unknown

Gillberg
Police identify suspect in shooting at splash pad in Michigan; motive unknown

Top line

On Sunday, police identified the man who shot and killed nine people and left an 8-year-old boy in critical condition when he fired more than two dozen bullets at families at a wading pool in the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills, Michigan, a city that has been ranked among the safest in the state and country in recent years.

Key data

According to several media outlets, Michael William Nash, 42, has been identified as the man who opened fire at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad around 5 p.m. on Saturday.

According to police, Nash stepped onto the water playground platform and was within 20 feet of some of the victims when he began firing his 9mm Glock, reloading twice and ultimately firing at least 28 shots.

Victims of the shooting include an 8-year-old boy who is in critical condition after being shot in the head, CNN reported, as well as his 4-year-old brother who was shot in the leg, a 39-year-old mother with wounds to her stomach and leg, and six other victims ranging in age from 30 to 78 who were also shot but are in stable condition.

The Detroit Free Press reported that police arrived at the scene within two minutes of the shooting. By that time, the suspect had already left and police were moving into his home.

Nash, who had no criminal record, was found dead in his home with what appeared to be a self-inflicted wound. Police said they found a semi-automatic rifle on Nash’s kitchen table.

No motive has been determined for the attack, which police said was “random,” and there is no known connection between the shooter and any of the victims.

Key quote

“If he had something else planned, it wouldn’t surprise me because having something like that on the kitchen table is not an everyday thing,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said of the rifle’s discovery, suggesting that Nash may have had plans for a “second chapter.”

Big number

8. That’s the number of mass shootings there have been in Michigan so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. A mass shooting is defined as an event in which at least four people, not including the shooter, are injured or killed. 43 people have been injured in the state and two have died.

Important background

According to GVA, there were five mass shootings on Saturday, one each in Michigan, Alabama, Texas and Ohio. Three people died and 29 were injured. According to GVA, there have been 223 mass shootings in the United States so far this year, nearly 35% fewer than the 301 that had occurred through June 16, 2023. By this time last year, 365 people had been killed in mass shootings. By now in 2024, 240 people have died. Florida has had the most mass shootings so far this year—there were 18 mass shootings in the state from January to June 16—but Illinois leads the death toll with 25 victims killed.

tangent

Rochester Hills was named one of the safest cities in the U.S. last year by NeighborhoodScout, and the second safest city with a population over 70,000. It has been ranked as the safest city in Michigan for seven years, according to the city’s website, and Livability.com ranked Rochester Hills 20th on its list of best places to live.

Further information

Detroit Free PressRochester Hills paddling pool shooting: What we know about the victim and suspect
CNNPolice seek motive after seemingly ‘random’ shooting at Michigan recreation center that left at least 9 people injured | CNNForbes1 dead and 26 injured in nighttime shooting in Akron, OhioFrom Mary Whitfill RoeloffsForbesMass shootings down 29% from last year – and nearly 100 fewer people diedFrom Mary Whitfill RoeloffsForbesMass shootings in the US hit a three-year low in the first six weeks of 2024 – but the number of deaths remains highFrom Molly Bohannon

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