Michigan. Rochester Hills tragedy: A shooter kills 9, including children. "We are monitoring the situation as updates continue to come in, and are in touch with local officials"

At least nine people, including children, were shot at a recreational area in Rochester Hills, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. The shooter fired 28 times, then fled the scene and barricaded himself in a house surrounded by police. When officers entered, they found that he was dead.

Nine people, including two small children and their mother, were shot on Saturday at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad municipal water park in Rochester Hills. An eight-year-old boy was shot in the head and is in critical condition, as is his mother, who was wounded in the abdomen and leg. According to Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, the 4-year-old brother is in stable condition.

The shooting occurred just after 5 PM (Eastern Time) in the municipal park. The attacker opened fire 28 times, reloading the weapon multiple times. He then got into a car and drove off. Police quickly determined the location of a car that matched the witnesses' description.

Officers surrounded a house about 875 yards from the scene, where the vehicle was parked, and attempted to contact the man, but to no avail. They sent a drone inside and then entered. It turned out that the perpetrator was dead. Another firearm and three empty magazines were found in the house.

I am heartbroken to learn about the shooting in Rochester Hills. We are monitoring the situation as updates continue to come in, and are in touch with local officials - stated Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Initially, it appears that the perpetrator fired 28 times, reloading the weapon multiple times. Authorities are bringing in additional forces, including SWAT teams and armored vehicles, to support police actions, Bouchard reported.

The perpetrator - a 42-year-old white male - did not live in Rochester Hills. Police believe he lived with his mother, who was notified of the incident. At this moment, his motives are not yet known.

According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), which monitors shootings, 7,625 people have died in the USA this year, and 14,333 have been injured.

GVA defines a mass shooting as an event where at least four people are injured or killed, excluding the attacker.