Splash Pad Shooter ID'ed But Motive Remains Unknown

ROCHESTER HILLS, MI — Law enforcement Sunday identified the gunman who opened fire on a splash pad in Rochester Hills, injuring nine people — including two children — who were enjoying a weekend at the park, according to reports.

The shooter is Michael William Nash, 42, of Shelby Township, multiple news outlets reported Sunday, although his motives remained unknown. Nash died by suicide in the hours following the attack, authorities have said.

Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said Saturday that the gunman had no prior criminal history but apparently suffered privately from what the sheriff called "mental health challenges.”

Nash arrived shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad and fired 28 rounds, reloading repeatedly, before leaving in a vehicle, according to police. A 9mm handgun and three empty magazines were recovered from the scene, police said, noting they believed the shooting was random.

The victims included an 8-year-old boy, who was shot in the head, and his mother, who was wounded in the abdomen and leg. Both were in critical condition. The woman's 4-year-old son was shot in the leg but stable. The six other victims, all at least 30 years old, were also in stable condition.

Nash eventually fled, but investigators were able to use weapon registration information to track him back to the home in Shelby Township he shared with his mother. When police arrived, they found a car that matched the gunman's vehicle.

Deputies surrounded the home and eventually entered to find Nash was dead, after he was “contained” in the residence for several hours, the Detroit Free Press reported. Bouchard said the man died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Deputies discovered a handgun next to the body and a semiautomatic rifle on the kitchen table. Bouchard said Saturday that Nash may have been planning a "second chapter" to the shooting.

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

The county suffered another mass shooting in 2021, when four students were killed and seven injured at Oxford High School.

The sheriff warned the community Sunday of fake GoFundMe pages purporting to benefit victims of Saturday's shooting.

“These bottom-feeding scumbags are preying off this tragedy,” he said in a news release.

A GoFundMe spokesperson said in a prepared statement that a fundraiser had been removed and all donors were refunded.

“Our hearts go out to the Rochester Hills community and to all of those affected by this senseless tragedy," the statement said.

"GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform and those who seek to take advantage of the generosity of the community. ... We will cooperate with law enforcement investigations of those accused of wrongdoing.”

The sheriff later clarified that a fundraiser for Eric and Micayla Coughlin, who were shot repeatedly while shielding their toddler and infant from gunfire, was legitimate.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.