A Michigan couple suffered serious gunshot injuries while shielding their two young children from a gunman on a rampage at a neighborhood splash park. Micayla and Eric Coughlin, along with their 2-year-old and 7-month-old children, were getting ice cream and heading to the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad when gunfire erupted around 5 p.m. on Saturday.
The couple from Rochester was shot a total of seven times during the terrifying incident, according to a family friend. According to a GoFundMe page created by a friend, the Coughlins heard the gunshots just one minute after arriving at the splash park. The two are undergoing treatment after they were rushed to a hospital.
Shot Multiple Times While Saving Their Kids
"Shortly after grabbing ice cream they walked to the splash pad and were not even there for a minute when Micayla and Eric heard gunfire," the GoFundMe post reads. "In an effort to save their children, they each grabbed a child to protect them."
"Because of their heroic actions, their children were protected and able to go home that evening," the family friend said on the GoFundMe page. "Micayla and Eric face a long and unknown recovery from this unthinkable tragedy."
By Sunday night, the fundraiser had garnered over $20,000.
The Coughlins, along with seven other people at the park, were injured in the shooting by 42-year-old Michael William Nash, who later took his own life during a standoff with police.
The brutal act of gun violence left an 8-year-old boy critically injured from a gunshot wound to the head, and a 4-year-old boy, a younger relative, in stable condition after being shot in the thigh, according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard as reported by the Detroit News.
Motive Behind Shooting Still Unclear
A 39-year-old woman, related to the two children, was also shot in the legs and abdomen and was in critical condition on Saturday. Other victims, all aged 30 or older, included a 78-year-old man, according to WXYZ. They were reported to be in stable condition.
Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett said that one of the victims is the spouse of a city worker and was at the park with 14 family members and friends, as reported by the Detroit News.
"[When I talked to her husband,] he was in shock, but he was grateful his family was OK and is focused on supporting them," Barnett said, according to the outlet.
In an impromptu update, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told reporters that Nash had no criminal history but was believed to have mental health issues. Among the nine people injured were three members of the same family.
Detectives are still investigating Nash's possible motive, as no connection between him and the victims has been found yet. In an earlier press conference, Bouchard stated that the shooting "appears very random."
"It appears like the individual pulled up, exited a vehicle, approached the splash pad, opened fire, reloaded, opened fire, reloaded, left," Bouchard said.
Police found a Glock 9mm handgun and three magazines at the scene.
After the splash pad attack, Nash died by suicide in a Shelby Township home following a long standoff with police.
Sheriff Bouchard explained that his department made numerous unsuccessful attempts to contact Nash before deploying drones to inspect the home, where they found Nash dead.
