Michigan Splash Pad Gunman Identified

Officials say 42-year-old man lived with his mother, had no criminal history
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 17, 2024 1:00 AM CDT
Michigan Splash Pad Shooter Identified
Officials with the Oakland County Sheriff's Department, Rochester Hills Fire Department and other jurisdictions secure the scene of a shooting at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad, Saturday, June 15, 2024, in Rochester Hills, Mich.   (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)

The man who shot nine people in an apparently random attack at a splash pad near Detroit, Michigan, on Saturday has been identified as Michael William Nash, 42. Little has been revealed about Nash: He lived with his mother, he had no known connection to the victims, he may have had a history of mental health struggles but had no criminal record, and his home was not in Rochester Hills, the city where the shooting took place, the Detroit Free Press reports. Police say Nash was seen walking calmly back to his car after firing at least 28 times into the crowd, MLive reports. He was gone by the time police arrived on scene, less than two minutes after gunshots first rang out. He was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound at a home in nearby Shelby Township after police traced a handgun found at the scene to the address.

Police say Nash was "contained" at the address for several hours before he was determined to have taken his own life. What appeared to be a semi-automatic rifle was found on the kitchen table, and police say he may have planned to carry out a second shooting. Three of the splash pad victims were members of the same family—an 8-year-old boy who was in critical condition after being shot in the head, his 4-year-old brother who was in stable condition after being shot in the leg, and their mother, who was in critical condition after being shot in the abdomen and leg. Another two victims were a husband and wife who were shot while protecting their children, a toddler and an infant, the Detroit News reports. Most of the victims are people in their 30s who are reportedly in stable condition; the oldest victim, a 78-year-old man, is also in stable condition. (More mass shootings stories.)

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