Michigan splash pad attack: Couple shot combined 7 times while protecting their 2 little daughters
Micayla and Eric Coughlin were both injured, having been shot a combined seven times, while trying to protect their two-year-old and seven-month-old daughters.
A couple who live in Rochester were shot a combined seven times while protecting their little daughters during the Michigan splash pad shooting. 42-year-old Michael William Nash opened fire at the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills, wounding nine people, before dying by suicide.
Micayla and Eric Coughlin were both injured, having been shot a combined seven times, while trying to protect their two-year-old and seven-month-old daughters. The shooting site, where the attack took place at around 5 pm on Saturday, June 15, is near their home.
'Because of their heroic actions, their children were protected'
A GoFundMe set up for the couple says they took their children to the Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad to "enjoy a day with beautiful weather" when they came under the brutal attack. They each grabbed a child to protect them, and were shot and wounded.
"Shortly after grabbing ice cream they walked to the splash pad and were not even there for a minute when Micayla and Eric heard gunfire," the page states. "In an effort to save their children, they each grabbed a child to protect them."
The husband and wife are hospitalised and undergoing treatment at present. The fundraiser, set up by Micayla's friend Noel Wakula, has urged people to help the family with their medical bills.
"Because of their heroic actions, their children were protected and able to go home that evening," the page reads. "Micayla and Eric face a long and unknown recovery from this unthinkable tragedy."
Other victims of the tragedy included three members of the same family – an eight-year-old boy, a four-year-old boy and a 39-year-old woman. The oldest of the victims was a 78-year-old man who was shot in the abdomen.
Nash reportedly suffered mental health issues. His motive is being investigated, but he reportedly had no connection to the victims, according to Detroit Free Press.