Eight people, including two children, were injured in a shooting at the Michigan Splash Pad

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Eight people were injured, including an 8-year-old boy who was hit in the head and left in critical condition, after a gunman opened fire at a suburban Detroit splash pad where families gathered. to escape the summer heat on Saturday. Law enforcement officers followed a suspect to a home, where the person died by suicide, authorities said.

At least two of the victims were children, officials said. Authorities initially said they believed as many as 10 people had gunshot wounds from the Rochester Hills shooting, but that number was later lowered after contacting area hospitals.

Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said a suspect was in a nearby home and police had it surrounded. Rochester said via Facebook that the person committed suicide.

Bouchard provided the information about the 8-year-old being in critical condition during an overnight news conference, where he also said two of the boy’s relatives, including a 4-year-old, had also been shot.

He added that the first deputies who arrived on the scene immediately began administering first aid, including tourniquets.

Officers were also able to quickly determine a likely address and a car matching the suspect’s vehicle was located at the home.

The shooting happened just after 5 p.m. in a city park that has a recreation area with a non-slip surface where people can turn on sprays and water fountains to play in. Bouchard said the shooting appeared to be random, with the shooter arriving. to the park, walk to the splash pad and shoot as many as 28 times, stopping several times to reload.

A handgun and three empty magazines were recovered, the sheriff said.

Police cordoned off the shooting scene with tape and dozens of yellow evidence markers littered the ground between colorful folding chairs.

In a post on social media, authorities said there was still an active crime scene and asked people to avoid the area. Bouchard said it was safe for those sheltering in the park to go home.

Police heard the 911 call reporting the shooting as it came in, Bouchard said, because the agency uses a service that simultaneously sends emergency calls to first responders. He said an officer was on the scene within two minutes.

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.

Bouchard called it “a blow” to the province.

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

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said on the social platform