LAKE CITY, Mich. — Six people, including the suspected gunman, were killed in a series of shootings in northern Michigan on Friday, while another person was critically wounded, authorities said.
The shootings occurred at multiple locations in Missaukee County, prompting a large-scale search for the suspect, identified by police as 39-year-old Chad Hickman. Michigan State Police said troopers responding at about 11:40 a.m. to a residence in Lake Township found three people dead and another person critically injured.
Hickman was not at the scene when police arrived, and authorities launched a search involving law enforcement officers and other emergency personnel. Police warned that the suspect was considered armed and dangerous as the investigation continued.
A fourth victim was later found dead at another location in the county, according to authorities.
Police subsequently located Hickman's vehicle near Whitlock Lake in Caldwell Township, where troopers found Hickman and another person dead in a wooded area, Michigan State Police said. The discovery brought the death toll to six, including the suspected gunman, according to police and the Associated Press.
Authorities have not publicly identified the other victims, pending notification of their families. The condition of the person who survived the initial shooting remained critical, according to reports citing authorities.
The circumstances surrounding the shootings, including a possible motive and the relationship between Hickman and the victims, remained under investigation. Police were processing evidence at multiple crime scenes and had not publicly established a motive.
Michigan State Police Lt. Ashley Miller, a public information officer for the agency's Seventh District, said investigators were working to establish what happened across the different locations. The district includes Missaukee County.
The shootings took place in a rural area of northern Michigan, where Lake Township and Caldwell Township are located in and around Missaukee County.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she was monitoring the situation and extended condolences to those affected, according to the Associated Press.
Police continued investigating the deaths and processing the separate scenes on Saturday. Authorities had not released further details about the identities of the victims or the circumstances of Hickman's death.
