Six people were killed and a 13-year-old girl was gravely wounded in a daylight shooting spree across rural Michigan, and police say the suspect is among the dead.
Story Snapshot
- Michigan State Police report six dead and one wounded across three scenes.
- First 911 call hit at about 11:40 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026.
- Troopers identified the suspect as 39-year-old Chad Hickman.
- Police said there was no ongoing threat as they secured the area.
A fast-moving attack, three scenes, and a statewide alert
Michigan State Police troopers raced to a home on South LaChance Road in Lake Township at about 11:40 a.m. Friday after a report of a person shot. They found three people dead and a fourth person, a 13-year-old girl, in critical condition. She had called 911 and told dispatchers she had been shot.
Troopers then located a fourth deceased person at a second home in Missaukee County. A search led them to a wooded area near Whitlock Lake where they found the suspect, Chad Hickman, dead, and another deceased person.
Police identified Hickman as a 39-year-old man from the Lake City area. Troopers described him as the suspect in the shootings and said he fled the first scene before officers arrived. The manhunt stretched across back roads and thick summer woods.
Officers from multiple agencies joined the search, and police aircraft scanned likely routes. When the search ended, the death toll reached six, including Hickman, with the young survivor rushed to a hospital.
What officials confirmed by nightfall
State police said the scenes were secure and there was no ongoing threat to the public as investigators worked into the night. Detectives processed three locations. They gathered shell casings, photographed footprints and tire tracks, and mapped the movement between the homes and the woods.
Leaders held back the full list of names until families were told. Reporters on scene watched troopers expand crime scene tape in wide arcs around farm drives and tree lines that sit far apart in this quiet county.
Teen boy among 6 dead including suspect in Michigan shootings; girl survived @WashTimes https://t.co/21bKfCyRp0
— Washington Times Local (@WashTimesLocal) August 15, 2026
Reporters described the wounded 13-year-old as a key witness. Local coverage named her as Bella Everett and said she called for help after being shot. Police said she was in critical condition. Hospital staff did not release her final status in the available reports.
Neighbors told television crews they heard sirens, then the thump of helicopters overhead, which is rare in this part of northern Michigan. A pastor offered prayers in a gravel lot while deputies stood watch.
A methodical timeline amid small-town shock
The timeline is stark and clear. First scene: three dead and one wounded. Second scene: one dead at another home. Third scene: Hickman and another deceased person in the woods near Whitlock Lake. That sequence repeated across local, state, and national reports, which matched what troopers shared in real time.
The precision mattered. In a rural county, distance can hide a moving threat. Clear updates calm people, guide searches, and keep phone lines open for the call that breaks a case.
41-year-old Amanda Everitt and her 16-year-old son, Eric Everitt were killed at their home in Friday’s shooting spree across Missaukee County, Michigan.
Amanda’s 13-year-old daughter remains hospitalized in critical condition after reportedly being shot four times. pic.twitter.com/c5M8mE5Kvw
— Newtown Action Alliance ❌👑 (@NewtownAction) August 16, 2026
Authorities did not announce a motive. Reporters asked about ties between Hickman and the victims, but police said they were still working the relationships. That patience is wise. Rushing a theory can mislead families and the public.
The job now is evidence, not rumor: ballistics that link scenes, phone records that show contacts, and autopsy results that fix cause and order of death. That is how you move from a story of fear to a record of facts.
What this tells us about safety, response, and priorities
This attack shows how fast violence can spread when homes sit miles apart and help is minutes away. It also shows why clear law enforcement communication matters. State police marked the threat level early and told people to stand down when the danger passed.
That aligns with what most Americans expect: stop the killer, protect the innocent, and speak plainly. Communities deserve speed and accuracy, not spin. Officials delivered that here, even as grief set in.
Facts still to be documented will shape the final picture. The county medical examiner’s rulings, the exact path of travel, and the weapon trace will answer key questions. But the core remains stable: six people are dead, a child fought to survive, and the suspect is among the dead.
The work ahead belongs to detectives, prosecutors, and the courts, if any accomplice appears. For the rest of us, the duty is simpler: honor the victims, tell the truth, and demand order over chaos.
Sources:
theguardian.com, upnorthlive.com, detroitnews.com, facebook.com
