A Michigan couple who allegedly shielded their two little girls from a shooting at a children’s splash park Saturday by wrapping their bodies around them are said to be lying in hospital after being shot seven times.
“Thanks to their heroic actions, their children were protected and able to return home that evening. Micayla and Eric (Coughlin) face a long and unknown recovery after this unthinkable tragedy,” we can read in a crowdfunding campaign set up by relatives of both parents and reported by the New York Post Sunday.
The little family from Rochester Hills, Michigan, was enjoying the sun on Saturday and had just finished ice cream when the couple reportedly decided to bring their two little girls, ages 2 and 7 months, to a small water park located near their home, we can read on GoFundMe.
As soon as they arrived at the paddling pool at Brooklands Plaza, where several families were present, the two parents reportedly heard gunshots, each rushing to grab one of their daughters to protect them with their bodies.
In total, Micayla and Eric Coughlin were reportedly shot seven times before being rushed to a hospital, alongside seven other victims, including two children aged 4 and 8.
Hit by a bullet in the head, the latter, in critical condition, is still fighting for his life, reported the American media, while the 4-year-old boy is said to be in stable condition.
A 39-year-old woman, believed to be related to the two injured children, was in critical condition after being shot in the legs and abdomen.
For his part, the suspect in the attack, Michael William Nash, 42, took his own life following a confrontation with the police, according to the NY Post.
“The individual parked, got out of his vehicle, approached the playground and opened fire. He reloaded, opened fire, left. At this stage, it looks a lot like an act committed at random,” said Sheriff Michel Bouchard, specifying that the shooter did not, according to him, “have any links with the victims,” AFP reported on Sunday.
