Brooklands Splashpad shooting: Suspect dead after wounding 9 in Rochester Hills

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - Sources have confirmed that the suspect who shot nine people at a Rochester Hills splashpad Saturday afternoon, is dead by suicide.

The shooter's death came by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, following what investigators are calling a random attack at Brooklands Splashpad at about 5:11 p.m.  A 9mm pistol and three empty magazines were recovered by investigators, meaning possibly up to 28 shots were fired, according to law enforcement.

The suspect is 42 years old but has no previous criminal history - he is suspected to have faced some mental health challenges, said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. He did have at least one other gun at the Shelby Township residence where he lived with his mother, an AR-style rifle on the kitchen table. 

Three of the victims are from one family with the two youngest victims an 8-year-old boy with a wound to the head who is in critical condition, a 4-year-old shot in the thigh, and their mother, 39, with wounds to the abdomen who is in critical, according to Bouchard.

Five of the victims are described as:

• A 39-year-old woman with wounds to the back and arm, who is in stable condition
• A 30-year-old man with a right leg wound who is in stable
• A 78-year-old man with an abdomen wound who is in stable
• A 37-year-old woman with a hand-wound in stable
• A 40-year-old man with a right knee wound who is in stable

There is a ninth victim that no description has been made available yet from investigators.

Bouchard said there had been some confusion over the number of wounded, which was why the number dropped from nine initially to eight and is now again at nine.

"It is nine again - that's why I was late coming in, they gave me a rundown with the ages and the injuries that at one point it was nine and then it was back to eight. And so I guess now that I've been given the formal (list) that's what I'm saying, it's always a little bit chaotic and a bit of a flux in the early hours."

The sheriff said the shooter had been contained in a residence nearby at the Dequindre Estates mobile home park where a barricaded situation lasted for over five hours until the man killed himself. Investigators first sent in drones to make contact with the man before making entry and discovering the suspect dead.

The recovered handgun data investigation led police to the address where deputies matched the vehicle description with what witnesses reported, the sheriff said.

The sheriff said the attack happened at about 5:11 p.m. the suspect got out of a car and began shooting at the splashpad, located near Auburn and John R.

Negotiators and SWAT had gathered with a massive presence where the suspect was barricaded inside a residence in the area of Dequindre and Hamlin Road in Shelby Township. 

Earlier, Sheriff Michael Bouchard explained how deputies responded so quickly.

"One of our sergeants from Rochester Hills was actually listening to a new technology we deployed called Live 911, and heard the call come in, before it was even dispatched and immediately self-directed himself and he was on scene within two minutes."

The victims suffered various stages of injuries with at least one having been treated and released, he said. At least four area hospitals are treating victims from the attack. 

Detectives and victim advocates are at each of the hospitals, Bouchard said.

"It's a gut-punch," he said. "We're not fully comprehending what happened at Oxford and now we have another complete tragedy that we're dealing with."

Mental health services from Oakland Community Health Network will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday for victims, their families, and individuals who were at Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills at the time of the shooting. 

The services will be held at the Rochester Hills Department of Public Services building, 511 E. Auburn Road. No appointment is necessary.

Congressman John James (R) was downtown for former President Donald Trump's visit to Turning Point USA's convention at Huntington Place and rushed to the area once news broke of the shooting.

"Under no circumstances in this country, particularly in Rochester Hills, should fathers be spending Father's Day in a hospital," he said. "We're doing everything we possibly can to help the families in need. And (I want to) give a shout-out to first responders who mitigated further damage and who are still in harm's way to bring resolution to this crisis." 

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer posted a message about the shooting on X, formerly Twitter.

"I am heartbroken to learn about the shooting in Rochester Hills," she said. "We are monitoring the situation as updates continue to come in, and are in touch with local officials."

This story will be updated as more information is available.