Michigan shooting leaves six dead; teen survivor called 911

A shooting rampage across three locations in rural Missaukee County, Michigan, left six people dead, including the suspected gunman, and a 13-year-old girl wounded but stable. The girl, who was shot four times, called 911 herself and identified the shooter, leading relatives to call her a hero Source: The Guardian. The suspect, Chad Hickman, 39, fled the first scene before police arrived and was later found dead in a wooded area near Whitlock Lake alongside a 29-year-old female victim Source: AP News.

The victims

Police identified the victims as a 16-year-old boy, a 45-year-old man, a 40-year-old woman, and a 53-year-old man, plus the 29-year-old woman found with Hickman Source: AP News. A relative identified two of the deceased as 40-year-old Amanda Everitt and her 16-year-old son Eric Source: The Guardian. Authorities have not confirmed whether the victims were related to each other or to Hickman Source: CNN.

The suspect

Hickman had a 2024 conviction for misdemeanor fourth-degree child abuse and was sentenced to one year in jail; felony assault and criminal sexual conduct charges were dismissed Source: AP News. Investigators could not immediately determine whether Hickman died by suicide, with an autopsy pending Source: The Guardian.

Community reaction

Lt. Ashley Miller of Michigan State Police said the situation is "heartbreaking for the community and challenging for the investigators involved" Source: AP News. Governor Gretchen Whitmer said her thoughts were with the victims and their families Source: AP News. The shooting adds to the year's toll of mass murders in the US, which the Gun Violence Archive counts as incidents with four or more victims killed Source: The Guardian.