Neighbors of the gunman suspected in the attack on nine people — including two children — at Brooklands Park splash pad in Rochester Hills couldn’t help but think “was he after me?”
The shooter was identified on Sunday at 42-year-old Michael William Nash of Macomb County’s Shelby Township, according to Oakland County Sheriff’s spokesperson Stephen Huber.
Authorities said Nash opened fire at a splash pad then drove back about a mile-and-a-half to Dequindre Estates mobile home community where he lived before taking his own life. His dead body, caused by a presumed self-inflicted gunshot wound, was discovered following a several hour standoff.
Michelle Wheeler, who lives across from Nash’s residence, said she had waved at him in the past but usually received no response.
“We don’t know what his plans were,” she said. “Some of the neighbors thought maybe he wanted to do something to us, but nobody was around, so he left. Who knows, it could have been one of us that was shot.”
At a news briefing late Saturday, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Nash’s motives remained unknown as investigators worked to determine if he left behind any hint of his plans. Investigators spent several hours looking for potential manifestos or some indication of where his mind was at.
Bouchard said the gunman had no prior criminal history but apparently suffered privately from what the sheriff called “mental health challenges.”
According to the sheriff’s office, an “AR platform” semiautomatic rifle was found on the table in the home. That has other residents questioning if he had meant to harm them at some point.
Another neighbor of the shooter said she was watching an episode of “Yellowstone” when the police came knocking on her door and telling her to stay inside. She said there was an aspect of Nash that unnerved her.
“My spidey senses tingled whenever I was around him,” the neighbor, who would only identify herself as “Carol,” said. “There was something about his demeanor that didn’t set right with me. I didn’t think he was that nuts, but anyone who would shoot a child, something’s wrong with him.”
Authorities said Nash drove to the splash pad on Saturday and opened fire around 5 p.m. The sheriff said Nash fired as many as 28 times, stopping several times to reload.
The gunman was “apparently in no rush. Just calmly walked back to his car,” Bouchard said.
Nash eventually fled but apparently left his gun behind. Investigators were able to use the weapon’s 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 he was dead. Bouchard said he 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 Nash may have been planning a “second chapter” to the shooting.
Nash’s neighbors described him as “a loner” and said his blinds are always pulled shut.
Neighbors said his father, Dennis, died two years ago and that he lived with his mother, Kathryn Lin Nash, who has been traveling the United States. Nash was the youngest of four adult children.
Nine people were injured, including an 8-year-old boy who was shot in the head; his 4-year-old brother, who was shot in the leg; and the boys’ mother, who was wounded 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 on Saturday night. Huber, the sheriff’s spokesperson, said all the victims’ conditions were unchanged as of Sunday morning.
Nine injured at splash pad in ‘random’ shooting, two critically; suspect dead at Shelby Twp. home