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Chad Hickman

Age : 39

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 08/14/2026

Location : Wooded area near Whitlock Lake

City : Lake City area

County : Missaukee

State : Michigan

Agency : Michigan State Police

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Suicide

Event : Suicide under police duress

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/14/2026, 39-year-old Chad Hickman died by suicide in a wooded area near Whitlock Lake in Missaukee County while Michigan State Police were conducting a large-scale armed search for him following a series of shootings that left five other people dead and a 13-year-old girl wounded.

At approximately 11:40 a.m., Michigan State Police troopers responded to a residence on South LaChance Road in Lake Township after a 911 caller reported that someone had been shot. When troopers arrived, they found three people dead from gunshot wounds and a fourth person critically wounded.

The surviving victim was a 13-year-old girl. Subsequent reporting identified two of those killed at the first location as 40-year-old Amanda Everitt and her 16-year-old son Eric. The girl survived multiple gunshot wounds and was able to call 911.

Michigan State Police identified Hickman as the suspected shooter and reported that he had left the residence before troopers arrived. Police considered him armed and dangerous and launched a large-scale search involving the Michigan State Police Emergency Support Team, aviation resources and canine units.

During the search, investigators discovered a fourth deceased victim, a 53-year-old man, at a separate residence in Missaukee County. The expanding investigation therefore involved multiple shooting scenes while police continued searching for Hickman.

Troopers subsequently located Hickman's vehicle near a wooded area by Whitlock Lake in Caldwell Township. Police concentrated their search in that area and ultimately found Hickman and a 29-year-old woman dead in the woods. Both had suffered gunshot wounds.

The available reporting does not indicate that Michigan State Police fired at Hickman or exchanged gunfire with him during the search. Subsequent reporting describes Hickman as having taken his own life. There is therefore no evidence presently establishing his death as a fatal police shooting.

Hickman's death occurred while an intensive police operation was underway to locate and apprehend him. Michigan State Police had deployed specialized emergency-response personnel, aircraft and canine teams and had warned the surrounding community that Hickman was armed and dangerous.

Five people other than Hickman were killed during the series of shootings. The victims included a 16-year-old boy, a 40-year-old woman, a 45-year-old man, a 53-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman. The 13-year-old girl survived and was reported in stable condition after initially being described as critically injured.

Michigan State Police continued investigating the shootings across three separate locations, including the relationships between Hickman and the victims and the motive for the killings. Authorities said the discovery of Hickman's body ended the immediate threat to the public.

Hickman's death qualifies for inclusion as because he died by suicide while police were actively conducting a large-scale armed manhunt to locate and apprehend him. His death was not caused by police gunfire.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://idahonews.com/news/nation-world/6-dead-1-critically-injured-michigan-shooting-msp-missaukee-county
https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/6-dead-1-critically-injured-in-missaukee-county-shooting-lachance-and-kelly-roads-police-northern-michigan-chad-hickman
https://apnews.com/article/ce8b1a0e7ea2389331ee9b6dfcfa27a2
https://people.com/michigan-shooter-chad-hickman-had-violent-history-12060770