MISSAUKEE COUNTY — Five people were killed and a suspect was found dead following a series of shootings in Missaukee County, Michigan, on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. Michigan State Police identified the suspect as 39-year-old Chad Hickman.

Troopers were dispatched to a residence on South Lachance Road in Lake Township, Missaukee County, at approximately 11:40 a.m. local time following a report of a shooting. Officers found three people dead and a fourth person in critical condition at the first residence. One person was injured and remained in critical condition at a local hospital.

Hickman fled the scene before troopers arrived. A fourth victim was found dead at a separate residence in Missaukee County during the search for the suspect. Police found Hickman's vehicle in a wooded area near Whitlock Lake in Caldwell Township. Hickman and another individual were found dead in the woods near Whitlock Lake.

Lieutenant Ashley Miller addressed the investigation in an official statement. "This situation is heartbreaking for the community and challenging for the investigators involved," Miller said. She added that authorities would continue their work to determine the full scope of the incident. "We remain committed to conducting a thorough investigation and will provide updates as new information becomes available," Miller said.

The manner of death for the victims has not been released by police. The identities of the victims have not been released pending notification of next of kin. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, Missaukee County Sheriff's Office, and Missaukee County Road Commission assisted in the search and investigation.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she was briefed on the shooting and is monitoring the situation. "My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and the Missaukee community," Whitmer said.

Court records indicate Hickman was in the process of a divorce. Hickman was sentenced to more than a year in county jail after pleading guilty in 2024 to two misdemeanors: contributing to the delinquency of a child and child abuse in the fourth degree. The charges against Hickman dated back to a 2010 offense.

Why It Matters

This incident represents one of the deadliest single-day violence events in rural Michigan in recent years, drawing state-level attention and multi-agency resources. The involvement of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, and local county offices illustrates the scale of the manhunt required to locate the suspect in the wooded terrain of Missaukee County.

The event occurred just over a month after earlier coverage on 2026-07-04 reported that police were investigating a shopping mall shooting that left 2 dead in suburban Detroit. The recurrence of fatal shootings within the state within a short timeframe shows ongoing public safety concerns across different regions of Michigan, from urban centers to rural counties.