Police found five victims and suspected gunman Chad Hickman dead after an extensive search spanning homes and a wooded area.
MISSAUKEE COUNTY, Mich. — Six people, including the suspected gunman, were found dead Friday after a series of shootings across multiple locations in rural northern Michigan, while another person remained critically injured, according to Michigan State Police.
The violence on Aug. 14 triggered a large police response and hourslong search for 39-year-old Chad Hickman of the Lake City area. State police said five other people died during the incident. Authorities had not released the victims’ names or ages as of the latest reports, and investigators had not announced a motive or publicly explained the relationships among those involved.
Troopers were called at about 11:40 a.m. to a home on South LaChance Road in Lake Township after receiving a report that someone had been shot. Officers found three people dead at the property and another person critically injured, police said. The injured person was taken to a hospital. Hickman had left before troopers arrived, prompting authorities to warn that he could be armed and dangerous.
The search quickly expanded throughout the area. Michigan State Police brought in its Emergency Support Team along with aviation and canine units as officers worked to locate Hickman. During that effort, investigators discovered a fourth dead victim at a separate home in Missaukee County. Police asked residents to avoid areas where investigators and search teams were working.
Authorities later located Hickman’s vehicle in a wooded area near Whitlock Lake in Caldwell Township. Troopers searching nearby found Hickman dead along with another person, according to state police. Those discoveries brought the death toll to six, including Hickman. Police had not disclosed how Hickman or the person found near him died, and investigators were still working to establish the full sequence of events.
Local reporting said investigators were treating several places as separate crime scenes. The scattered locations complicated the investigation as officers worked to determine when each death occurred and how the people involved were connected. Police said there was no continuing threat to the public after Hickman was found.
Lt. Ashley Miller of the Michigan State Police called the situation heartbreaking for the community and challenging for investigators. She said authorities remained committed to a thorough investigation and planned to continue processing the scenes and releasing information as it became available.
State police initially withheld the victims’ names and ages while relatives were being notified. Authorities also had not announced who was responsible for each death beyond identifying Hickman as the suspect in the shootings. Questions about the motive and what led to the first shooting remained unanswered as investigators gathered evidence.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she had been briefed on the shootings and was monitoring the situation. She expressed sympathy for the victims, their families and the Missaukee County community as police continued their investigation.
The investigation remained active Saturday. Authorities said additional details would be released as the evidence was processed and family notifications were completed. The critically injured person’s latest condition had not been publicly updated in the reports available early Saturday.
Author note: Last updated August 15, 2026.