ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) – At least nine people were injured when a gunman opened fire at a splash pad in the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills on Saturday evening, authorities said. The suspect was probably barricaded in a nearby home.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a news briefing that the male suspect pulled into a car just after 5 p.m. local time, got out and opened fire at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad, located at 1585 E. Auburn Rd.
“It appears the individual stopped, exited a vehicle, approached the splash pad, opened fire, reloaded, opened fire, reloaded, took off,” Bouchard said. “It seems very random at this point… No connection to the victims.”
Bouchard said nine to 10 people were shot and at least one child, an eight-year-old, was in critical condition. At least four area hospitals were treating victims “with various types of injuries,” Bouchard said. At least one of the patients underwent surgery.
The suspect, whose name has not been released, was believed to be “trapped” in a home within a half-mile of the splash pad, Bouchard said.
“We very quickly identified who we thought may have been involved based on the evidence at the scene and responded immediately,” Bouchard said. “There was a vehicle there that matched what was described as a vehicle leaving the scene. So we established a quick perimeter. And officers on scene apparently heard or saw the person they were trying to communicate with.”
The shooter fired potentially 28 times and reloaded several times, Bouchard said. A 9mm Glock semi-automatic pistol was recovered at the scene, along with three empty magazines.
Bouchard too referred to the 2021 mass shooting at Oxford High School in the nearby city of Oxford, in which a teenage gunman killed four fellow students.
“It’s obviously a blow to us here in Oakland County. We have experienced so many tragedies,” Bouchard said. “We don’t even fully understand what happened in Oxford, and now we are dealing with another complete tragedy.”
The city of Rochester Hills is located approximately 25 miles north of Detroit.
