Police identify Michigan splash pad shooter but there’s still no word on a motive

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. — Authorities identified the man on Sunday opened fire on a splash pad in suburban Detroit before killing himself, but his motives remained unknown as investigators tried to determine if he left any hint of his plans.

Oakland County Sheriff’s spokesman Stephen Huber said the shooter was 42-year-old Michael William Nash of Shelby Township. Sheriff Mike Bouchard said Saturday evening that the shooter had no prior criminal history but apparently suffered privately from what the sheriff called “mental health issues.”

“We understand that he was experiencing mental health issues, but no one we know was notified,” Bouchard said at an evening news conference.

The splash pad shooting was one of at least four mass shootings that occurred across the country Saturday night and early Sunday morning. Six people were shot in a residential area in Lathrup Village, another Detroit suburb. Seven people were shot at a party in Methuen, Massachusetts, and eight people were shot at a Juneteenth party in Round Rock, Texas. Two people were killed in that shooting.

Authorities said Nash drove to the suburb of Rochester Hills on Saturday and opened fire at a splash pad in a city park around 5 p.m. A splash pad is a recreational area with a non-slip surface where people can play in fountains and water sprinklers.

The sheriff said Nash fired as many as 28 times and stopped several times to reload.

In the chaos, “people fell, got hit and tried to run away,” Bouchard said. “Terrible things that all of us in our law enforcement activities have unfortunately seen far too often.”

The shooter was apparently in no hurry. I just calmly walked back to his car,” the sheriff said.

Nine people were injured, including an 8-year-old boy who was shot in the head; his four-year-old brother, who was shot in the leg; and the boys’ mother, who was injured in the abdomen and leg.

The 8-year-old boy and the mother were both listed in critical condition on Saturday evening. The 4-year-old was in stable condition. The six other victims, all at least 30 years old, were in stable condition Saturday night. Huber, the sheriff’s spokesman, said the conditions of all the victims were unchanged as of Sunday morning.

Nash eventually fled, but apparently left his gun behind. Investigators were able to use the gun’s registration information to track him back to the Shelby Township home he shared with his mother. When police arrived, they found a car that matched the shooter’s vehicle.

Officers surrounded the house and eventually entered to find the suspect dead. Bouchard said the man died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officers discovered a gun next to the body and a semiautomatic rifle on the kitchen table. Bouchard said Saturday that Nash may have planned a “second chapter” to the shooting.

Nash’s neighbors told the Detroit News that Nash’s father died two years ago and that he lived with his mother, who has traveled around the United States.

‘He’s a loner. The sun blinds are always closed there,” neighbor Kyleen Duchene told the newspaper.

Nash’s mother was “super friendly and nice,” but Nash himself rarely left the house, neighbor Alex Roser said.

“And when he did, he didn’t even say ‘hello’ to us when we acknowledged him,” Roser said. “He was very quiet and did not want to be part of our community.”

Bouchard said Nash had no connections to the splash pad or any of the victims. Investigators will try to determine if he left any writings and examine his electronic devices in hopes of shedding light on his motive.

“As far as ‘why’ goes, I don’t know,” Bouchard said.

Rochester Hills is located about 15 miles south of Oxford, where in 2021 a 15-year-old shot and killed four high school students. Saturday’s shooting occurred at the end of the first full week of summer vacation for Rochester Community Schools students.

“I love my community and my heart is breaking today,” said Rochester Mayor Bryan Barnett. “When I got to the scene, I started crying because I know what a splash pad is supposed to be. It should be a place where people come together, where families make memories and where people have fun.”

Bouchard called the attack “a hard blow” to the province.

“We’ve had so many tragedies,” the sheriff said. ‘We don’t even fully understand what happened in Oxford. And you know, now we’re dealing with another complete tragedy.”