ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. – Police provided an update Monday afternoon on the Rochester Hills mass shooting, discussing the 12 guns they found, the 36 bullets at the scene, and the conditions of the nine people who were injured.
What we know about shooting
Nine people were shot just after 5 p.m. Saturday, June 15, 2024, at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad at 1585 East Auburn Road in Rochester Hills.
Police said a 42-year-old Shelby Township man parked at the splash pad and began firing gunshots from the base of the steps.
The man walked up the steps, reloaded, and fired more shots from the top of the steps in the splash pad area, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
Police said he fired shots randomly into the crowded splash pad. They believe he reloaded multiple times while using two handguns.
An Oakland County sergeant heard the 911 calls coming in via a program called Live 911 and arrived on the scene within two minutes, but the shooter had already fled.
The shooter ultimately killed himself at his mobile home in Shelby Township, officials said.
Initial injury information
Here’s the injury information that police released over the weekend.
Nine people were struck by gunfire at the splash pad:
- A 4-year-old boy.
- An 8-year-old boy.
- A 30-year-old woman.
- A 30-year-old man.
- A 37-year-old woman.
- A 39-year-old woman.
- Another 39-year-old woman.
- A 40-year-old man.
- A 78-year-old man.
Here are specifics about some of the shooting victims:
- Micayla and Eric Coughlin, of Rochester Hills, were shot while protecting their children, who were uninjured. Their ages have not been disclosed.
- A 39-year-old woman and her two sons, ages 8 and 4, were shot.
- The mother and her 8-year-old son were originally listed in critical condition, while the 4-year-old was stable.
- One of the shooting victims reportedly worked for the city of Rochester Hills.
Monday injury update
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said two people remain in critical condition. He specified that the 39-year-old mother is one of them.
He said the 8-year-old boy has a head injury and has made “amazing progress.”
“He seems to be doing well, but there are still a lot of challenges ahead,” Bouchard said.
He said the 37-year-old woman and the 77-year-old man (likely the man previously reported as a 78-year-old) have been released from the hospital.
The rest of the shooting victims remain in the hospital, but the 39-year-old woman (not the mother of the two young shooting victims) might be released on Monday, Bouchard said. She was struck by gunfire in the forearm and back.
“At this point, we don’t think anyone’s in immediate peril of passing, but I don’t know that that medically has been determined, and that can change on a dime,” Bouchard said.
12 guns found
Police said a 9 mm Glock 43 semi automatic handgun was found at the splash pad. That was the only gun discovered by officers at the shooting scene.
Officials originally found 28 shell casings, but after examining the scene closer and bringing in a dog that’s trained to search for components of fired weapons, police have now accounted for 36 shell casings, Bouchard said.
There were also 13 bullet fragments at the scene, according to police.
In addition to the magazine inside the Glock 43, two other magazines were found, including one that held only six rounds. All three were empty.
During their search of the suspected shooter’s home, police said they found 11 more guns:
- Glock 19 semi automatic handgun.
- Sears 30-30 rifle.
- Mossberg 410 bolt-action shotgun.
- Spikes Tactical AR model multi-cal 223 rifle.
- Browning lever-action 22 rifle.
- Marlin bolt-action 22 rifle.
- Remington 243 bolt-action rifle.
- Winchester 12-gauge pump.
- Mossberg 22-caliber bolt-action.
- Western Field 410 pump-action shotgun.
- 22-caliber Rough Rider single pistol.
The Spikes Tactical rifle was found on the kitchen table, Bouchard said. When police saw the location of this rifle, they said it might have been an indication that the shooter was planning a “second chapter.”
Bouchard said they believe the handgun the shooter brought home from the splash pad is the same one he used to kill himself.
The Glock 43 that police found at the splash pad was purchased legally by the suspected shooter in 2015, according to officials.
Police are investigating the other 11 weapons to determine when they were purchased, how they were purchased, and who owns them.
Motive still unclear
Bouchard said they still don’t have much information about a possible motive in this shooting.
“We’ve not been able to uncover any written, pen-to-paper manifesto types of things,” Bouchard said.
When police were at the home, they seized a phone, a tablet, a MacBook Pro, two PC towers, four thumb drives, and two external drives.
They got into his phone and found nothing of interest in terms of motive or “what set him into motion,” Bouchard said.
Officials said the suspected shooter might have had some anti-government ideologies.
“The comment from the family member that (the shooter) was talking about, ‘(The government) are listening to us. They are watching us. Turn off your phone.’ Things like that,” Bouchard said. “And walking around the house with a handgun in his hand, talking like that.”
The suspected shooter has no criminal record and has never been arrested, police said. The last time he had contact with law enforcement was for a traffic ticket in 2016, according to Bouchard.
Mother retained counsel
Police believe the suspected shooter lived with his mother. She was out of the state at the time of the shooting, Bouchard said.
He drove his mother’s white car to the splash pad, according to authorities.
Since their initial contact with the suspected shooter’s mother, she has retained counsel and they are not actively in contact with her, Bouchard said.
There has not been any indication from police that the suspected shooter’s mother is involved in the shooting.
Mental health resources
Bouchard emphasized the importance of mental health resources, especially after this type of tragedy.
“There needs to be more focus on mental health for the community, more mental health resources, and a wider continuum of care, both inpatient and outpatient,” Bouchard said. “It’s not there. Our mental health community is struggling, and as a result, our community is struggling.”
He said the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office is flying someone in Monday afternoon to debrief officers who need to speak to someone about what happened.
Bouchard said his department only has one full-time peer-to-peer employee. He believes law enforcement needs more mental health peer-to-peer resources in their agencies.
The Rochester Hills Department of Public Services building is being used as a Family Assistance Center. Anyone who feels they need help is encouraged to speak with someone. You don’t need an appointment.
Therapists will be available from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday at 511 East Auburn Road. If you can’t make it, you can reach the on-call nurse at 800-848-5533 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Splash pad
When asked about the splash pad reopening, Bouchard said that will be up to the city of Rochester Hills once police have completed their on-scene investigation.
