ROCHESTER HILLS, MI - Police in this suburban Detroit community still have not determined a motive for a shooting rampage at a Rochester Hills splash pad last weekend that wounded nine people ranging in age from four to 78.
According to Fox 2 Detroit, the suspect, Michael William Nash drove up to the Brooklands Splash Pad after 5:00 p.m. Saturday and started shooting, firing approximately 28 shots at those enjoying the splash pad on a warm summer evening. The shooting left two victims, a mother and her eight-year-old son in critical condition, while her four-year-old is stable.
“My focus is on that family, and specifically an eight-year-old boy that I’ve never met that I hope to hug someday and get on a playground in Rochester Hills with him sometime soon,” said Mayor Bryan Barnett.
After the shooting, Nash, of nearby Shelby Township, drove to his home where he lived with his mother, where he shot himself and succumbed to his wounds. Investigators were able to secure evidence from the crime scene, including the weapon used, as well as witness descriptions of the suspect vehicle to track back to Nash.
Police recovered the gun used in the shooting at the scene, which he legally purchased in 2015, and two magazines, along with electronics such as a phone, laptop, tablet and hard drives.
It was after police arrived at his home and a standoff began that Nash shot himself. Police said this was prior to establishing contact with Nash, nor had they in fact confirmed he was inside the residence.
Nash’s mother was not at home during the incident, but was contacted by authorities later Saturday night.
“It was very scary because we know who lives next to us,” said neighbor Kyleen Duchene-McDougall, who was home when police showed up at Nash’s home. “Quiet, kept to himself. I just waved to him the other day.”
Police believe the shooting was random, however they are still trying to determine a motive. It is not clear why Nash targeted the splash pad, and authorities said he did not have a criminal history, although Sheriff Mike Bouchard said he may have had mental health issues.
The Detroit Free Press reported that police found 11 firearms inside Nash’s home. Bouchard said that Nash seemed to suffer from paranoid delusions and believed the government was tracking him. Bouchard told reporters at a news conference that family members told police that Nash would walk around his home with a gun, warning them to “shut your phone off, we’re being watched, they’re listening to us.”
Based on what police discovered at Nash’s home, the toll could have been much worse. Among weapons found at the home were rifles, shotguns, and pistols.
Aside from the mother and her two sons, victims included a husband and wife who were able to shield their two young daughters from the bullets and in doing so were shot a total of seven times. Bouchard said the condition of the victims had not worsened, and said the eight-year-old victim is making “amazing progress.”
Speaking of a motive, Bouchard said police hadn’t found any notes or “manifestos” or any other explanation.
“We may not be able to find one,” Bouchard said.
CNBC reported that Bouchard said Nash reloaded at least twice, and also said that when “people were falling, getting hit, trying to run,” Nash was “apparently in no rush.”
“He calmly walked back to his car,” the sheriff added.
Bouchard said that Nash may have been planning a “second chapter” to the shooting, however did not elaborate.
The Detroit News spoke to some neighbors and one said that his father died two years ago. One described his mother as “super friendly and nice,” while noting that Nash rarely left the house.
“He was very quiet and didn’t want to be part of our community,” the neighbor, who was not identified, told the outlet.
The Detroit Free Press reached out to Nash’s sister for comment, however she declined to speak to the outlet.
Meanwhile, some have questioned why Michigan’s so-called “red flag” law didn’t prevent Saturday’s shooting. Bridge Michigan reports that the law didn’t come into effect “for one simple reason: Nobody asked a court or law enforcement to intervene.”
The outlet reported that prior to Saturday’s shooting, the law, which went into effect in February, had been used roughly 100 times. The law mandates that an extreme risk protection order can be issued after a court is petitioned and shows why immediate harm could occur. Those able to petition include law enforcement, healthcare professionals, and immediate family or household members who reside in the same domicile.
Bouchard said his agency has utilized the order to confiscate guns from individuals suffering a mental health crisis, and noted that Nash’s mother has retained a lawyer since initially speaking with police.
“There’ll be a lot of people talking about the solutions,” Bouchard said. “That’s the solution that we see from public safety; someone sees something, someone hears something, and we don’t connect those dots.”
When asked why Nash was allowed to own a handgun, Bouchard said he met the legal requirements when he bought the gun(s).
“You can own firearms if you have no criminal history and no evidence of mental health (issues),” he said.
One official also noted that red flag laws are not a compete solution. "I don’t want people to be under the mistaken impression that an extreme risk protection order is a panacea,” Dan Pfannes, deputy director of the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association, told Bridge Michigan earlier this month.
“It’s one tool amongst many to potentially resolve a problem.”
While politicians are anxious to seize on such incidents to implement even more restrictive gun laws, Bouchard said there is one area that is being ignored–mental health. He stressed there is a need for “more focus on mental health for the community, more mental health resources, and a wider continuum of care–both inpatient and outpatient,” noting that, currently, “it’s not there.”
Bouchard also said that with the way things are now in the country, it is important for people to maintain situational awareness, including simple things such as knowing where exits are in order to evacuate a building.
“I hate to say that, but that’s the world in which we live.”
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