On a warm Saturday evening, June 15, 2024, in Rochester Hills, Michigan, families gathered at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad to enjoy a fun day out, which turned into a nightmare when a shooter opened fire, injuring nine people, including two young children and their mother.
The shooting occurred around 5 p.m. when a 42-year-old man, identified as Michael William Nash, drove up to the splash pad and started shooting. He fired as many as 28 rounds, stopping multiple times to reload. The randomness of the attack left the community shocked and devastated.
An eight-year-old boy was critically injured with a gunshot wound to the head, while his mother and four-year-old brother were also wounded. The mother remains in critical condition with injuries to her abdomen and leg, and the younger brother is in stable condition with a leg wound. Six other victims, all adults aged 30 and above, are in stable condition, including a husband-and-wife couple and a 78-year-old man.
Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard described the chaos at the scene: “People were falling, getting hit, trying to run. It was terrible.” He also noted that the shooter walked calmly back to his car after the attack before fleeing the scene.
Authorities quickly responded to the incident, with deputies arriving within two minutes of the first 911 call. They found a handgun, three empty magazines, and numerous shell casings at the splash pad. Using the handgun’s registration information, police tracked Nash to his home in Shelby Township, where he lived with his mother. There, they found him dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, along with a semiautomatic rifle on the kitchen table, indicating he might have planned further violence.
Nash, who had no prior criminal history, was reportedly dealing with mental health challenges. However, no warnings had been issued regarding his condition. The investigation is ongoing as authorities search for any writings or electronic evidence that could provide insight into his motive.
Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett expressed his sorrow over the incident: “When I got on scene, I started to cry because I know what a splash pad should be. It’s supposed to be a place where families make memories, and today it was a place of horror.”
This shooting has struck a deep chord in a community already reeling from the 2021 Oxford High School shooting, where a teenager killed four students. Sheriff Bouchard referred to the latest incident as another “gut punch” for the community.
Mental health support services have been made available for the victims and their families, as well as for those present during the shooting. The Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad will remain closed until further notice as the community comes to terms with this senseless act of violence.
