A series of shootings across three locations in rural Missaukee County, Michigan, left five people dead Friday, along with the suspected gunman, following an extensive search involving two homes and a wooded area, Michigan State Police said.
Troopers responded around 11:40 a.m. to a report of a shooting at a home in Lake Township, about 170 miles northwest of Detroit, where they found three people dead and a 13 year old girl in critical condition after being shot four times. The girl managed to call 911 herself to report the shooting and identify the shooter before officers arrived, according to state police.
The suspect, identified as 39 year old Chad Hickman, had fled the property before troopers reached the scene. As a large scale search for him got underway, officers found a fourth victim dead at a separate home in the county.
What We Know So Far
At the first home, state police said officers found a 45 year old man, a 40 year old woman and a 16 year old boy dead, along with the wounded 13 year old girl. At a second home in Missaukee County, officers found a 53 year old man dead. Hickman’s vehicle was later located near Whitlock Lake, leading investigators to his body along with that of a 29 year old woman in a nearby wooded area.
State police spokesperson Lt. Ashley Miller said investigators could not yet determine whether Hickman died by suicide, pending autopsy results. She said authorities identified him as a suspect quickly but declined to say how, adding that his identity was never in doubt once officers began responding.
Names and relationships among the shooter and victims had not been officially released as of Saturday, pending family notification. However, a relative identified two of those killed in a Facebook post as Amanda Everitt, 40, and her 16 year old son, Eric. David Everitt, Amanda’s father and Eric’s grandfather, wrote that the world had lost two beautiful people, referring also to a third person clinging to life. He described the surviving 13 year old girl as a hero for managing to call 911 and identify the shooter despite being shot four times. The girl was hospitalized in critical condition Friday but was reported stable by Saturday.
Court records reviewed by the Detroit News show Hickman was convicted of misdemeanor fourth degree child abuse and contributing to the delinquency of children in a 2010 case brought by the Missaukee County Sheriff’s Department, for which he served a year in jail. That earlier case stemmed from a complaint by his former wife, Katie Hickman, who filed for divorce in September 2023 after the marriage significantly deteriorated, according to a 2025 written opinion from Judge Melissa Ransom. The judge noted it was uncontested that the marriage involved allegations of domestic violence attributed to both Hickman and his ex-wife, and the opinion cited Katie Hickman’s testimony describing the marriage as marked by control, coercion and fear.
What Authorities Are Saying
Miller said the situation was heartbreaking for the community and challenging for the investigators involved, adding that authorities remained committed to a thorough investigation and would provide updates as new information became available.
Describing the impact on the area, Miller said Missaukee County is a very small community that has been rocked and crushed by the incident, with residents searching for answers about why it happened.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she had been briefed on the shooting and was monitoring the situation, saying her thoughts were with the victims, their families and the Missaukee community.
Why This Matters
The scale of Friday’s violence, five victims across three separate locations plus the suspect, represents an unusually large casualty count for Missaukee County, a rural area of about 15,000 people in northern Michigan unaccustomed to this kind of coordinated violence. The tight knit nature of the community, as Miller described it, means the loss is likely to be felt broadly rather than confined to those directly connected to the victims.
The emergence of Hickman’s prior domestic violence history, including a decade old criminal conviction and more recent allegations raised during his 2023 divorce proceedings, adds important context to the case, suggesting a pattern of behavior that preceded Friday’s shootings by years. Whether investigators ultimately connect the shootings to the earlier domestic violence allegations remains part of the ongoing inquiry into a motive.
The survival of the 13 year old girl, despite being shot four times, and her ability to call 911 and identify the shooter, played a critical role in helping investigators respond quickly and ultimately locate Hickman, underscoring how her actions may have helped prevent additional violence during the manhunt that followed.
What Happens Next
Investigators worked through the night processing each of the shooting scenes, according to Miller, and the investigation into a possible motive remained ongoing as of Saturday. Authorities have not said when they expect to release the full names and relationships of the victims and suspect, or when the medical examiner’s findings on Hickman’s cause of death will be available.
The surviving 13 year old girl remained hospitalized in stable condition as of Saturday. Given the unresolved questions about motive and the connection, if any, between Friday’s shootings and Hickman’s documented history of domestic violence allegations, further details are expected to emerge as the investigation continues.
Reporting drawn from the Associated Press, NBC News, the New York Post and the Detroit News
