PONTIAC, Mich. - Oakland County Prosecutor KAREN D. McDONALD released the following statement regarding the shooting on Saturday, June 15, 2024, at the Rochester Hills Splash Pad:

"The shooting on Saturday is a tragedy. Our focus should be on the victims, those who were shot and their families, the children and adults who were there, and first responders. They may not have had physical scars, but their experience and trauma are just as real. Victim advocates and canine advocates from my office responded after the shooting and will continue to be available to victims as they process what happened.

After such a horrible tragedy, every parent, and all of us, have the same question: how can we keep our kids safe? Instead of waiting for the next tragedy, we must focus our efforts on how to prevent it from happening. Here is what we know:

• Gun violence is the number one cause of death for children in our country.
• Evidence shows that nearly all mass shooters exhibit warning signs well before a shooting occurs.
• To prevent shootings, we need to understand what led up to Saturday's shooting. Whether or not there is a criminal charge, there must be an investigation into the shooter, signs of crisis, and how the weapon was obtained.
• Most importantly, gun violence is preventable.

There are steps we can take, and must take, to protect our communities and fully address gun violence as a public health epidemic. Evidence-based action steps and tools to prevent gun violence, including the Protocol for Action, can be found at AllofUsCan.org."

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CONTACT: ocpomedia@oakgov.com