Six Dead in Michigan Shootings; Teen Boy Among Victims
A shooting rampage across three locations in rural Missaukee County, Michigan, left six people dead, including the suspected gunman, according to AP News. A 13-year-old girl survived the attack and remains hospitalized in stable condition after she called 911 and identified the shooter.
The shootings unfolded Friday morning in a rural area about 170 miles northwest of Detroit. Michigan State Police troopers were dispatched around 11:40 a.m. to a home on South LaChance Road in Lake Township after receiving a 911 call from a girl who had been shot. Upon arrival, officers found three people dead — a 45-year-old man, a 40-year-old woman, and a 16-year-old boy — along with the critically injured 13-year-old girl.
A Search Across Three Scenes
The suspected gunman, Chad Hickman, 39, of Lake City, fled the first scene before troopers arrived, triggering a large-scale search involving Michigan State Police emergency response, aviation, and canine units. During the search, investigators discovered a fourth victim, a 53-year-old man, at a separate home in Missaukee County.
Troopers eventually spotted Hickman’s vehicle near a wooded area close to Whitlock Lake in Caldwell Township. There, they found Hickman and a 29-year-old woman, both deceased. All victims died of gunshot wounds, police confirmed.
“This situation is heartbreaking for the community and challenging for the investigators involved,” Lt. Ashley Miller, Michigan State Police public information officer, said in a statement. Miller noted that the investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to identify a motive and establish connections between the victims.
A Teenage Survivor Called 911
Family members have identified the 40-year-old woman and 16-year-old boy found at the LaChance Road home as Amanda Everitt and her son Eric Everitt. Amanda’s father, David Everitt, told The Detroit News that his granddaughter Bella, 13, was shot four times yet “still managed to call 911 and identify the shooter.”
“She is a hero,” Everitt said. He also issued a plea “to everyone on this planet to teach their children compassion and kindness not hate and violence so parents and family members do not have to bury their children and brothers and sisters.”
Kimberly West Moffit, a longtime friend of Amanda Everitt, remembered her as “bright, brilliant, caring and an incredibly loving mother” who “gave everything she had to her children.”
Suspect’s Troubled Past
Court records reviewed by The Detroit News reveal that Hickman was convicted in 2024 of misdemeanor fourth-degree child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of children in connection with a 2010 criminal case. He was sentenced to 365 days in jail. Felony charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct were dismissed.
Hickman’s divorce, finalized in 2025, included a judge’s finding that allegations of domestic violence were “at the heart of the issues before the court.” His ex-wife testified that the marriage “was characterized by control, coercion, and fear.”
Tim Penrose, a neighbor and former tenant of Hickman, told UpNorthLive that Hickman was “incredibly violent or making threats of violence” since his release from jail. “None of us are surprised by it,” Penrose said. “When he went to jail, he only got a year and it should have been way, way longer.”
Community in Mourning
Lake City, a quiet town of about 700 permanent residents, has been deeply shaken by the tragedy. Residents described a close-knit community where “all the business owners know everybody.”
“The community was obviously terrorized and traumatized by the situation,” said Pam Sischo of Jennings Community Church, which set up a tent offering counseling. “So many in this community were intimately connected or related to the victims.” The church planned a vigil for Sunday and was raising funds for victims’ families.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she was monitoring the situation, stating: “My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and the Missaukee community.”
Political Debate Emerges
The shooting has reignited debate over Michigan’s red flag law. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson, appearing at a panel on preventing gun violence with former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, said the tragedy highlighted the importance of “closing loopholes” to ensure abusers’ firearms are relinquished under the state’s extreme risk protection order law, as The Detroit News reported.
“There are times in which there are red flag laws that can be better enforced to ensure that weapons don’t end up in the hands of abusers who then allegedly use those weapons to cause great harm and kill,” Benson said.
State Sen. Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton, criticized Benson for politicizing the tragedy, calling her remarks “opportunistic” and accusing her of exploiting the event “as a pretext for your gun control agenda.”
What’s Next
The incident marks the second mass shooting in west Michigan in three weeks, following a July 24 shooting in Grand Haven Township that killed a family of eight. Michigan State Police continue to investigate the motive and any connections between the victims, with authorities asking the public to avoid the three crime scenes while evidence is processed.
As the community prepares to bury its dead, the 13-year-old survivor remains in stable condition at a Grand Rapids hospital, her grandfather calling her “a hero” for the courage she showed in her darkest moment.