Five people were killed in a shooting in northern Michigan on Friday, while the suspected gunman was also found dead after a large-scale search, police said.One other person was critically injured and taken to hospital.Michigan State Police said troopers were dispatched at around 11:40 am local time to a home in Missaukee County, about 272 km northwest of Detroit, following a report of a shooting.Officers arriving at the scene found three people dead and a fourth person critically wounded, according to police. The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Chad Hickman, had fled before law enforcement arrived.
Suspect found dead after manhunt
Police launched an extensive search for Hickman and warned residents that he was armed and dangerous, urging people not to approach him.During the search, investigators discovered a fourth deceased person at another residence, taking the number of victims to five.Police later located Hickman’s vehicle in a wooded area near Whitlock Lake. Hickman and another person were subsequently found dead in the area, according to Michigan State Police.Authorities have not disclosed how Hickman or the other person died, and it was not immediately clear whether the additional deceased person found near the vehicle was connected to the shooting.The circumstances surrounding the deaths and the relationship, if any, between the victims and the suspect remain under investigation.“This situation is heartbreaking for the community and challenging for the investigators involved,” Michigan State Police Lieutenant Ashley Miller said in a statement, according to news agency AP.“We remain committed to conducting a thorough investigation and will provide updates as new information becomes available,” she added.
Police yet to release victims’ identities
Police have not released the names, ages or genders of the victims, saying they were waiting to notify their families.The shooting occurred in Missaukee County, a largely rural area in northern Michigan. Police asked members of the public to avoid the area while investigators continued working at the different locations involved in the case.According to The Guardian, court records show Hickman was in the process of a divorce. The news outlet also reported that he had been sentenced to more than a year in county jail after pleading guilty in 2024 to two misdemeanour charges connected to a 2010 offence.Authorities have not indicated whether those previous cases were connected to Friday’s shooting.The investigation remains ongoing, and police have not yet provided a possible motive for the attack.
