A bloody drama with six victims has shaken the US state of Michigan. In a large-scale police operation and subsequent search, local authorities found five people killed and the body of the main suspect in the mass killing.
The signal for the brutal crime was filed around 11:40 a.m. local time on Friday, when law enforcement officers were dispatched to a report of an active shooter at a house in Missouka County. The area is located about 272 kilometers northwest of the state's largest city – Detroit.
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Upon arriving at the first address, Michigan State Police patrols encountered a horrific scene - three people were found dead, and a fourth was found in critical condition with serious gunshot wounds. The victim was immediately transported and admitted to a hospital, where doctors fought for his life.
However, the shooter managed to escape the scene of the crime just minutes before law enforcement arrived. Authorities immediately identified the fugitive as 39-year-old Chad Hickman. On the social network X (formerly Twitter), police spread a warning that the person was armed and extremely dangerous, urging citizens to stay away from him.
During the subsequent large-scale manhunt and search of the area, investigators made another ominous discovery. A fourth lifeless victim was found in a second apartment building next door.
The end of the search and the brutal balance
The pursuit ended hours later when officers located Chad Hickman's abandoned car in a dense wooded area near Lake Whitlock. During the subsequent inspection of the terrain, the bodies of the suspect himself and another, fifth person in a row, were found. This brings the total number of deaths in the criminal series to six people.
“This situation is extremely devastating for the entire local community and poses a huge challenge for the investigative team“, said Lt. Ashley Miller of the state police in an official statement.
At this time, law enforcement authorities have not disclosed the official causes of death of each of the individuals, nor whether the victims were related or otherwise related. The names, genders and ages of the deceased are being withheld until their next of kin are notified. The area around the lake remains cordoned off for further investigation.
News Agency Reuters (www.reuters.com/world/us/five-killed-michigan-shooting-suspect-found-dead-police-say-2026-08-15/) reports that authorities are continuing to work to clarify the exact motives for the shooting. Sources from the American television channel ABC News (abcnews.com/US/wireStory/5-killed-suspect-dead-incident-michigan-135660329) confirmed that by the early hours of August 15, the situation was under control and there was no immediate threat to local residents.