“Evil will not win here.” Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills reopens after mass shooting injures nine, including children

ROCHESTER HILLS (WWJ) -- The Brooklands Plaza Splash Pad in Rochester Hills has reopened two and-a-half weeks after a mass shooting injured nine people, including two young siblings and their mother.

In a statement on Facebook , the city said: “The Brooklands Splash Pad, where tragedy struck, has been fenced off while we navigated the next steps. That fence, unfortunately, is a reminder of what took place there and today it has come down.”

“Evil will not win here,” the post continues. “Not in a place where laughter and squeals of joy abound.”

The shooting, which Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard described as “random”, happened in the afternoon of Saturday, June 15 at the park on Auburn Rd. near John R Rd.

The sheriff’s office announced earlier this week the 8-year-old boy, who was critically injured in the shooting, had been released from the hospital and is “resting comfortably” at home. Gunfire seriously injured the child’s mother, 39, while she shielded her children, officials said.

The woman's 4-year-old son has also been discharged from the hospital. At last check, she remains hospitalized.

One other woman, 30, was still hospitalized as of Saturday. The rest have been discharged; but many of the injured face “significant health and healing challenges,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Speaking live with WWJ's Tracey McCaskill on July 4, Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan Barnett talked about what went into the decision to reopen the splash pad.

"In communicating with many mental health professionals, or public safety professionals, the overriding opinion was there are a lot of folks that need that splash pad open to begin their healing," Barnett said.

"And as soon as we opened it, families started coming," the mayor said. "I was out there to greet a few of them, and met a young lady, a mom of two young girls — the first people out there — and she said, 'I want my daughters to know this isn't a place to be afraid of, and that we're going to create new memories here'."

The splash pad’s hours are seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The city said they will have increased police presence in the area, as well as signs informing people about mental health resources.

"We're glad that it's open," Barnett said. "We wanted to do it cautiously, but I think it's an important step forward for Rochester Hills."