Up to ten people, including children, have been shot and wounded at a city-run water park near Detroit in what appeared to be a random attack, police have said.
The suspect was still at large late on Saturday, but police said they believed he had been cornered in a house nearby. A handgun and three empty magazines were found at the scene, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told a press conference.
A man got out of a vehicle in front of Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad park, in Rochester Hills, Michigan, at about 5 pm local time and fired about 30 shots from a 9mm semiautomatic Glock, reloading several times, Bouchard said.
The victims were taken to hospitals, and their conditions were not yet known, said police, who had initially reported five people shot. An eight-year-old was among those wounded.
Police had surrounded the home where the possible suspect was believed to be hiding, Bouchard said. It was not immediately clear if other people or weapons were inside with him. Law enforcement officials were trying to make contact with him, Bouchard said.
Rochester Hills is about 30 miles (50 km) north of Detroit. The neighboring community, Oxford Township, also in Oakland County, was the scene of a 2021 mass school shooting in which student Ethan Crumbley, then 15, killed four students and wounded six other students and a teacher at Oxford High School.
“It’s a gut punch, obviously, for us here in Oakland County,” Bouchard said. “We’ve gone through so many tragedies, you know. We’re not even fully comprehending what happened at Oxford.”
Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer said on X, “I am heartbroken to learn about the shooting in Rochester Hills.”
In the US as of Saturday, there had been more than 215 mass shootings so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
The nonpartisan online resource defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more victims are wounded or killed.
Such a high rate of mass shootings in the US has prompted calls to Congress for lawmakers to pass more substantial gun-control measures, but such requests have largely gone unheeded.
Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
