CNN
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At least eight people A man was shot Saturday at a recreation area in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and the suspect is in a home surrounded by officers near the crime scene, police said.
The victims of the shooting at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills were injured and taken to multiple hospitals with “a variety of injuries,” Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said at a news conference Saturday evening.
The sheriff did not have further details on the severity of the injuries, but said he knew at least one person did not undergo surgery and was “doing fine”.
Rochester Hills is about 27 miles north of Detroit.
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Police respond to the scene of a shooting at Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills, Michigan, Saturday, June 15, 2024.
According to the authorities, two of the dead are children. One of the victims was 8 years old, said Bouchard, who added that he could not comment on the age of the other victims. The sheriff emphasized that information is preliminary and the incident “changes by the second.”
Initially, at a news conference on Saturday, authorities said nine, “maybe 10” gunshot victims were injured.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer said In the statement on X He has been in contact with local officials since the shooting.
“I am heartbroken to hear about the shooting in Rochester Hills,” she wrote. “We are monitoring the situation as updates continue and are in contact with local officials.”
“This is a great community and it breaks my heart to see this happen here,” said Rochester Hills Mayor Brian Barnett.
The first 911 call alerting police to the incident was made around 5:11 p.m. Butcher said a Rochester Hills sergeant was listening to new technology that safely sends 911 calls directly to first responders and responded to the scene within two minutes before the call ended. Sent.
Authorities found a handgun and three empty magazines at the scene.
Bouchard said it appeared the suspect pulled up to the rest area, got out of his car and opened fire about 20 feet away, reloading multiple times.
The suspect “fired potentially 28 times,” the sheriff said. The incident appears to be accidental and authorities have yet to establish a motive for the attack, he added.
The sheriff said the man police believe is the suspect is at a home about a half-mile from the crime scene surrounded by officers.
Authorities are bringing in additional assets, including SWAT teams and armored personnel carriers, to assist officers at the scene, Bouchard said.
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An aerial view of police near a home in Rochester Hills, Michigan, where they believe the suspect is located.
“We’re trying to talk to this person without response, but we still believe he’s being held there,” he said. “… We are in the process of obtaining a search warrant for this address.”
The sheriff advised those sheltering in the parks to go home and asked people to stay away from the area if they were sheltering nearby.
The suspect was not known to authorities until they conducted a “rapid investigation” and determined who was involved based on evidence from the crime scene.
“A vehicle matching what was described as the vehicle leaving the scene was there,” the sheriff said. “We set up a quick perimeter and the deputies apparently heard or saw the individual they were trying to communicate with.”
Investigators believe there are potentially more guns in the home, but it’s unclear if the suspect has access to them, Bouchard said.
The sheriff called the incident “heartbreaking” and emphasized that the community is still reeling from the 2021 shooting at Oxford High School, located 15 miles north of Rochester Hills, when four students were killed.
“We don’t even fully understand what happened in Oxford and now we have another complete tragedy to deal with,” he said.
CNN has reached out to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office for more information.