Michigan mass shooting leaves 6 dead, including suspected shooter

Six people, including the suspected gunman, were killed and another person was critically injured in a mass shooting in rural Missaukee County, northern Michigan, on Friday, according to Michigan State Police.

Police identified the suspect as 39-year-old Chad Hickman of Lake City. He was found dead in a wooded area near Whitlock Lake in Caldwell Township, about five miles from where the first victims were discovered.

Troopers were called to a home on South LaChance Road in Lake Township at around 11:40 a.m. after receiving reports of a shooting. Officers found three people dead and another person critically injured. The injured victim was taken to a hospital.

Investigators said Hickman had left the area before police arrived. A search was launched with the help of aviation and canine units. During the search, officers found a fourth body inside another home in the county.

Police later found Hickman’s vehicle in a wooded area near Whitlock Lake. His body and another alleged victim were also discovered nearby.

Authorities had not released the ages or genders of the victims as they worked to notify their families. The shooting involved at least three separate crime scenes, and roads in the area remained closed as the investigation continued.

Court records show Hickman had recently been divorced. Records also indicate that he was convicted in 2024 of misdemeanor fourth-degree child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of children.

The investigation is ongoing, and police said more information will be released as it becomes available.

The incident is the second mass killing in Michigan in three weeks. On July 24, seven members of a family were killed in a shooting in Grand Haven Township. Authorities said the father killed his wife and six children before dying by suicide.