MISSAUKEE COUNTY, Mich. – A 13-year-old girl who had been shot four times called 911 from a home in Missaukee County, setting off a frantic investigation that ended with six people dead, including the suspected gunman, Chad Hickman, 39.
Now a community is searching for answers.
The girl was found alive Friday morning in Lake Township, but was able to identify the shooter, according to Michigan State Police. She was hospitalized and has been upgraded to stable condition, police said.
The 911 call came shortly before noon.
“I have a 13-year-old on the phone stating she was shot in the arm. I’m having a hard time communicating with her,” dispatch audio said.
Troopers arrived at the home around 11:40 a.m. and found the girl, Bella, still alive, along with three people who had been killed: a 45-year-old man, 40-year-old Amanda Everitt, and 16-year-old Eric Everitt, according to a relative.
Investigators later identified Hickman as the suspect. Police believe he killed five people at three locations before he was found dead near the body of a 29-year-old woman in a wooded area near Whitlock Lake.
A 53-year-old man was found dead at a second home in Missaukee County.
“Not only is this difficult for our investigators and our troopers, but it’s very hard for this community,” Lt. Ashley Miller told WPBN. “This type of loss is tragic. And we’re going to conduct a thorough investigation, and we want to make sure to keep our community members up to date on our current situation and on what we’re discovering throughout this process.”
A call for help from inside the home
Police said Hickman had left before officers reached the house, but investigators quickly focused on him, thanks to Bella’s 911 call.
“We were able to identify him right away,” Miller said.
Bella’s family described her actions as heroic. David Everitt, Amanda Everitt’s father and Eric’s grandfather, wrote on social media that “this world just lost two beautiful people, and one is clinging to life.” He also called the wounded girl a hero who, “while shot 4 times, still managed to call 911 and identify the shooter.”
The sequence of events moved investigators from the first home to a second residence.
Police ultimately located Hickman’s vehicle near a wooded area and found his body and that of the 29-year-old woman, authorities said.
“In the middle of a nightmare no child should ever have to endure, Bella was still able to call 911 and identify the shooter, showing incredible courage and strength,” Kailey Kozminski, Amanda’s Niece, wrote on a gofundme page. “Bella now faces a long recovery and a future forever changed by this violence.”
Kozminski said the money raised would be used for funeral expenses and long-term care for Bella, along with expenses for her father to stay in Grand Rapids during her recovery.
What is known about the victims
Amanda Everitt’s death has echoed through Lake City and the state, where friends and former classmates have tried to describe her life beyond the violence that ended it.
Kimberly Moffit, who graduated with Everitt from Lake City High School in 2004, said people who knew Everitt at different stages of her life had been sharing memories since the shooting.
“Amanda was a phenomenal mother,” Moffit told WPBN. “Her children were her world. She was incredibly proud to be the mother of two teenagers, and she made sure their birthdays, milestones and even the ordinary moments were celebrated and captured.”
Moffit also remembered Everitt’s love of sunsets, music and concerts, and her habit of taking pictures to preserve time with the people she loved.
“There are so many little pieces of Amanda that could never fit into one news story, but those are exactly the pieces I don’t want to get lost in everything surrounding what happened,” Moffit said.
Eric Everitt was a student in the Lake City Area Schools district. Officials there said they were mourning one student while praying for another.
In a statement, the district said the “courage, care and deep connections” that define its Trojan family had been tested.
School officials said they would focus on checking in with students, staff, families, neighbors and anyone who needed someone to listen as the community grieved.
The district said it would eventually celebrate Eric’s life and honor the impact he had on people who knew him.
A community hit hard
“I also hope people understand the mental and emotional toll something this traumatic can take on an entire community,” Moffit said. “The shock doesn’t disappear when the news cameras leave or when the headlines stop. There are families, friends, first responders, neighbors, classmates and people throughout this community trying to process something incredibly difficult.”
Jennings Community Church opened its doors Sunday for people seeking a place to grieve. Moffit said Pastor Ron Sischo and his wife offered prayer, conversation and grief support, along with a quiet place for people who did not want to be alone. Coffee and water were available, and flowers were provided in memory of the victims.
“You don’t have to have the right words,” Moffit said. “You don’t even have to talk. If you need somewhere to grieve, pray, remember, or simply not be alone for a little while, the doors are open.”
She urged people affected by the shooting to seek support and care for themselves as the investigation and mourning continued.
A neighbor’s warnings and Hickman’s criminal past
Timothy Penrose, a neighbor and former landlord of Hickman, said he heard gunshots Friday morning but initially did not think they were unusual because people frequently fire guns in the area.
“About 30 minutes later, there was a drone flying over the house,” Penrose told WPBN.
Penrose said Hickman used to be his landlord and had been making threats during the last year or so.
“He has been incredibly violent or making threats of violence, wanting to fight me over the course of the last year, since he got out of jail,” Penrose said.
Penrose said he had not seen Hickman with a weapon. He said Hickman had been living next door with his sister and had been going through a divorce. He said Hickman’s sister had a personal protection order against him.
Penrose said he has also contacted police about Hickman’s behavior in the past.
“We thought, maybe one day he’d go off the handle and maybe get in a fight with somebody and go back to jail, but we didn’t think he was going to murder six people,” Penrose said.
Hickman’s criminal history includes a 2024 Missaukee County case. Court records obtained by Local 4 show he pleaded guilty to fourth-degree child abuse and a charge involving children contributing to delinquency.
He was sentenced in September 2024 to at least 365 days in the Missaukee County Jail, with a second 90-day sentence appearing to run concurrently.
Local 4 learned that, according to court records, prosecutors dismissed charges including assault with intent to do great bodily harm, interfering with electronic communications, first-degree criminal sexual conduct, domestic violence, and additional child abuse counts.
Hickman also allegedly addressed his divorce in a public Facebook post in October 2025, posting documents and denying allegations made by his former wife.
He also allegedly described the court proceedings as a victory.
“Everything my ex-wife said about me was a lie,” he allegedly wrote, adding that he had proved his innocence before judges.
Court records show the divorce case listed a de novo hearing for Sept. 1, 2026 – essentially a new review of the case.
Investigators still seek motive
The investigation remains active as police said they continue to process multiple crime scenes, review 911 call and dispatch traffic, examine Hickman’s movements and await autopsy results.
Miller said the community’s need for answers was understandable, but that investigators have to work carefully through the evidence.
“They’re looking for answers, and they want to know why,” Miller told NBC News. “And we are committed to conduct a thorough investigation.”