US Man Opens Fire At Children's Water Park, 8-Year-Old Among Injured

Two children, one of them 8 years old, were among several injured after a gunman opened fired at a children's water park in US' Michigan on Saturday evening. The shooter, who had been hiding inside a nearby home was found dead, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.

Police said the "nine, maybe 10" victims were injured in the shooting at Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills and rushed to hospital.

"We had an active shooter at the splash pad on Auburn in Rochester Hills. That is still an active crime scene and we potentially have the suspect contained nearby, but we asked for the moment people stay away from the area. We have numerous wounded victims. More to follow," the police department said in a post on X.

The Oakland County Sheriff said that the suspect reached the splash pad around 5 pm on Saturday and opened fire after he got down from his vehicle. The suspect reloaded his gun several times as he fired as many as 28 times, the sheriff said. 

While the motive behind the shooting is not known yet, police believe that the attack appears to be random.

Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan K. Barnett said that the police have secured the site of the attack. "Rochester Hills Fire Department is on the scene and the scene is secure. We appreciate everyone's patience as we work through this. Prayers are with all those involved. We will share more updates as we have information," he said.

Calling the incident a "gut punch," the sheriff said the community is still recovering from the 2021 shooting at a high school near Rochester Hills, where four students were killed. "We're not even fully comprehending what happened at Oxford, and now we have another complete tragedy that we're dealing with," he said.

In 2024, the United States has witnessed over 215 mass shootings so far.