A couple in Michigan were shot seven times on Saturday while protecting their daughters from a gunman at Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills.
Micayla and Eric Coughlin, along with their two daughters, aged two and seven months, had just arrived at the splash pad when the gunman, identified by police as 42-year-old Michael William Nash from Shelby Township, started shooting at families.
Family friend Noel Wakul posted on a GoFundMe page that the Coughlins were getting ice cream when they heard gunshots. They grabbed their daughters and ran to protect them, getting shot seven times in the process. Both parents were hospitalized but managed to keep their children safe.
Thanks to their bravery, their daughters were unharmed and able to go home that evening, Wakul said, noting that Micayla and Eric have a long and uncertain recovery ahead.
The Coughlins were among nine people shot by Nash, including an 8-year-old boy in critical condition with a head wound, a 4-year-old boy in stable condition with a thigh wound, and a 39-year-old woman in critical condition with abdominal and leg wounds.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard described the shooting as “very random” and “bizarre,” with Nash having no known connections to the victims. Police responded within two minutes, but Nash had already left the scene and barricaded himself in a nearby Shelby Township home. A 9mm Glock and three magazines were recovered.
Nash was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home, where police also discovered a semi-automatic rifle, suggesting he might have had further violent plans.
This incident was one of three mass shootings in Michigan on Saturday, all in the metro Detroit area. In Lathrup Village, six people were shot at a house party, with two in critical condition. In Detroit, a woman was killed, and four others were shot late Saturday night, all victims being teenagers and young adults.
Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter expressed frustration at the frequency of such incidents, and Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett called the last 24 hours a nightmare.
Residents of Shelby Township, where Nash lived, were shocked by the shooting. Adam Urquhart Sr. commented, “This is a safe area, and that’s why I’m so shocked at what happened. When it happens this close to home, it’s hard.”