A thirteen-year-old girl, shot four times in a Michigan rampage that killed six people, gave authorities her own location and identified the attacker before anyone else arrived. Her call to 911 directly preceded the rapid identification of the gunman and limited the window of terror in a small, shaken community according to Guardian World.
Lt. Ashley Miller of Michigan State Police confirmed the girl "called 911 to report that she had been shot." She was found in critical condition alongside three deceased victims at a home on South LaChance Road in Lake Township. The suspected shooter, 39-year-old Chad Hickman, had fled before police arrived around 11:40 a.m. Friday. Investigators, however, knew immediately where to look.
"We were able to identify him right away," Miller said.
Police found the bodies of a 16-year-old boy, a 45-year-old man, and a 40-year-old woman at that first scene. At a second home, they discovered a 53-year-old man dead. The final two bodies, Hickman's and that of a 29-year-old woman, were located side-by-side in a wooded area near Whitlock Lake. All six individuals died from gunshot wounds.
A Teen’s Call Cuts Through Chaos
While the shooting spree stretched across three locations, the investigation's momentum came from a single, gravely injured survivor. The 13-year-old girl, Bella, managed to phone for help and name the suspect, according to her grandfather, David Everitt, who posted the account on Facebook.
"She is a hero," Everitt wrote, "who while shot 4 times still managed to call 911 and identify the shooter."
That call triggered a manhunt across Missaukee County, a rural area with a population of about 15,000. Police located Hickman and the final victim by Friday afternoon. While the sequence limited the shooter’s ability to flee further, it could not prevent the initial carnage. Everitt identified two of the deceased as his daughter, 40-year-old Amanda Everitt, and his 16-year-old grandson, Eric. The tragedy underscores how a single critical action can define the aftermath of a violent incident, as we detailed in our coverage of the Mass Suspect Hunt After Virginia State University Campus Shooting or the stealth and impact seen in the Italian Renaissance art heist. Investigators have not publicly disclosed a motive or confirmed the family connections, stating only that the inquiry is ongoing.
The girl was transported to a hospital and upgraded to stable condition by Saturday. Her survival stands in stark contrast to the fate of the other five victims.
A Small County Seeks Answers for an Outsized Tragedy
The rampage's impact is amplified by the size and tight-knit nature of Missaukee County, where violent crime of this scale is rare.
"It obviously has rocked and crushed [the Missaukee] community at this point," said Lt. Miller. "They’re looking for answers, and they want to know why."
Details about the shooter’s past are sparse but emerging. Chad Hickman had been convicted in 2024 of misdemeanor fourth-degree child abuse, stemming from a complaint by his then-wife during divorce proceedings. He was sentenced to one year in prison, records show. Friends remembered 40-year-old victim Amanda Everitt as a devoted mother. "She loved her children fiercely," said longtime friend Kimberly West Moffit, who spoke to The Detroit News. "She was bright, brilliant, caring and an incredibly loving mother."
The community is now left to reconcile these separate realities: a man with a documented history of abuse and a family described as kind and close-knit. The geographic spread of the crime scenes, spanning several miles, suggests a planned and targeted attack rather than a random outburst, though police have not confirmed this.
What Autopsies and Motive Will Reveal
The official investigation now hinges on two core questions: How did Chad Hickman die, and why did he kill?
A pending autopsy will determine if Hickman’s death was a suicide. The fact that he was found next to the body of the 29-year-old female victim complicates the scene. The autopsy results will be a key piece of evidence in officially closing the criminal case.
The more elusive answer is the motive. Police have not described any relationship between Hickman and his victims. The public record shows a prior domestic violence conviction, but its potential link to Friday’s victims remains unclear. Without a manifesto or clear statements, the community’s search for "why" may linger. This event also contributes to a grim national statistic, marking at least the 15th mass murder in the United States so far this year, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive cited in the source material.
The forward momentum now belongs to the survivor and the grieving families. The frenetic actions of a traumatized morning will give way to a long recovery, both physical and communal. As the region processes this shock, the early actions of a company's leadership in a crisis can define its path forward, a dynamic seen in other high-stress situations like the SBA Loan Spree Derails Florida Bank With $33M Loss. In Lake City, that initial defining act came not from an official, but from a wounded 13-year-old girl on the floor of a crime scene.
Why This Changes Everything
- The victim's immediate actions demonstrate that even severely injured individuals can provide critical information to disrupt active threats and aid law enforcement.
- This case highlights the importance of emergency call training for young people and vulnerable populations to minimize response times during violent incidents.
- Bella's heroism has reshaped community discussions around trauma response, shifting focus toward empowerment and decisive action in crisis situations.
Originally published on XOOMAR. For more news and analysis, visit XOOMAR.
Top comments (0)