Nine injured in ‘random’ shooting at wading pool, two seriously injured; suspect found dead in Shelby Twp. home – The Oakland Press

Late Saturday afternoon, nine people were shot at a paddling pool in Rochester Hills. According to police, it was apparently a random shooting.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the suspect is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the Dequindre Estates neighborhood of Shelby Township.

He said the suspect was a 42-year-old man who lived in the house with his mother, who was not home but had been notified.

The sheriff said the two most seriously injured were an eight-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to the head and a 39-year-old woman with gunshot wounds to the abdomen and leg. Both are in critical condition. A four-year-old boy was shot in the thigh and is in stable condition. These three victims are from the same family.

Bouchard also provided initial details on the identification of the suspect, the efforts to arrest him, their entry into the home and the confirmation of his death.

The sheriff praised the efforts and responsiveness of deputies and the new tools available to law enforcement today, saying they could have prevented a second “chapter” of potential bloodshed following the first mass shooting at the Auburn Road splash pad in southeast Rochester Hills. The gunman drove up in a car, ran to the nearby steps and fired at least 28 shots, reloading a 9mm Glock that he dropped and left with three empty magazines.

To highlight this, he showed a photo showing an AR weapon on the kitchen table in the suspect’s house.

“Having something like this on the kitchen table is not an everyday occurrence,” Bouchard said.

First, he explained the immediate response, which involved a sergeant listening to a report on a new scanner app they use, Live 9-1-1, that provided details as the call came in just after 5 p.m. Saturday and before dispatchers placed the call. The sergeant arrived on the scene within two minutes and initiated the police response, which resulted in a massive police presence at multiple locations.

Next, Bouchard said that in the minutes following the shooting, “intelligence work” was being done at the scene after the shooter drove away from the scene. Investigators quickly had a possible address after examining the firearm.

“We didn’t have a license plate, but we had a description” of the car, Bouchard said. Within 45 minutes to an hour, “we had the house locked down.”

Although they did not speak to the suspect, officers had seen or heard him and set up a tight perimeter around the house.

“We tried to get the person out peacefully,” Bouchard said.

In addition to SWAT officers and a helicopter, officers also used drones. They eventually entered the building and used a drone to search for the suspect inside. They found him dead and the gun on the table.

“We don’t know what the next chapter is going to look like,” Bouchard said of the potential for more violence. He said the home is still being secured and investigated, and they are not initially aware of any other weapons other than the second handgun believed to have been used in the suspect’s shooting wound.

He said the shooting of the families at the wading pool was random and there was no known connection to the location or the victims. In addition, the sheriff said the suspect had some “mental health issues.”

U.S. Rep. John James, who represents much of Macomb County as well as Rochester and Rochester Hills in Oakland County and was at an event, was in attendance with Bouchard, and Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett said there should be no worry about gun violence on Father’s Day.

“This is an American epidemic that we must get under control,” James said. “Gun violence must stop.”

EARLIER

Bouchard had previously provided a preliminary report on what happened along Auburn Road in the southeast of the city. At the time, he said the information was still very vague and preliminary as detectives were searching for victims at various hospitals. During a late-night press conference, he updated the number of injured from eight to nine, noting that some had driven themselves to the hospital and that it had taken some time to confirm the details.

It was at 5:11 p.m. on Saturday, June 15, when a sheriff’s sergeant heard an initial report of a shooting via a scanner app called Live 9-1-1 and immediately responded.

Bouchard said in his 7:30 p.m. press conference that investigators have begun assessing the full impact of the incident. The number of victims, their ages and their conditions are being determined. Investigators and victim advocates spoke with people at four area hospitals.

“One of the people shot is 8 (years old),” Bouchard said.

Meanwhile, deputies and police officers were at a home where the suspect is believed to be living and attempted to speak with him.

“We believe we have a suspect nearby,” Bouchard said. “We have surrounded the house. We are trying to speak to the person, but there is no response.”

The sheriff’s office later announced that the suspect was arrested at a nearby home in neighboring Shelby Township.