Her mother and brother were k!:lled… but the 13-year-old girl, sh0.t four times, may have helped save more lives
A heroic 13-year-old girl survived four gunshot wounds and desperately phoned 911 during Chad Hickman’s deadly rampage in Michigan Friday, police and friends said.
The young survivor — identified as “Bella” in a Facebook post Saturday by David Everitt, a person claiming to be her grandfather — miraculously reached for the phone to alert authorities around 11:40am after being hit with gunfire and witnessing Hickman, 39, kill her mother and brother in their home, the New York Post reports.
The deranged gunman heinously killed five people in Missaukee County’s Lake Township before turning up dead in a wooded area, police said.
“Bella” remains the only surviving victim.
Police have only identified the victims in that house — the first of Hickman’s three murder hits — as a 45-year-old man, 40-year-old woman and 16-year-old boy, but have not yet released any names.
But the Everitt family took to social media to mourn their loss, identifying two victims as Amanda Everitt, 40, and her son, 16-year-old Eric.
The young girl courageously called 911 despite suffering four gunshot wounds and witnessing Hickman, 39, kill her mother and brother. Picture: Facebook/David Everitt
“Amanda and her son Eric went home to be with god and our granddaughter Bella is clinging to life in a Grand Rapids hospital,” David Everitt, Amanda’s father, wrote in a heartbreaking tribute on Facebook.
“This was a cowardly act by an evil person and I hope hell gives him his due,” the grieving father added.
“God be with you Amanda and Eric and prayers for Bella who while shot 4 times still managed to call 911 and identify the shooter. She is a hero.”
Bella was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but has since been stabilised, police announced Saturday.
Hickman’s ex-wife also hailed the teen survivor as a hero who “saved many more lives” when her call ignited the manhunt for the gunman — who had a prior conviction for child abuse and several allegations of domestic violence lodged against him.
Amanda Everitt and her son Eric were killed in a shooting at their home, which also left her daughter Bella hospitalised. Picture: Facebook / David Everitt
It is not clear what relationship Hickman had with the family, but records show that both parties owned homes just half a mile away from one another on the same stretch of South LaChance Road.
Hickman appeared to be living on another property on Bagley Street that police had cordoned off and were investigating Saturday.
After targeting Everitt and her children, Hickman killed a 53-year-old unidentified man at another home in Missaukee County, cops said.
He then went into a wooded area near Whitlock Lake with his final victim, a 29-year-old unidentified female, whose body was found alongside his.
There are just 15,274 people living in Missaukee County, according to a 2025 US Census Bureau estimate.
Chad Hickman went on a shooting rampage and killed 5 people in Lake Township, Michigan, on Friday. MSP
Investigators did not confirm whether Hickman took his own life.
The probe is being led by the Michigan State police, but the motive for the bloodshed remains a mystery.
Hickman was apparently still dealing with the fallout from a toxic divorce, with his ex-wife alleging he was inherently violent during their 12-year marriage — and also charged that their relationship was “characterised by control, coercion, and fear.”
A judge agreed, writing in an October filing that the couple’s relationship was “defined by volatility.”
Records show Hickman has a criminal history of violence against children and domestic abuse against his ex-wife. Picture: Facebook
Amid the battle, Katie Hickman, who now goes by Katie Frye, accused her ex-husband of domestic and child abuse.
Chad Hickman was charged with four felony and five misdemeanour charges, including assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder by strangulation and two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Nearly all the charges were dropped.
He was only convicted of fourth-degree child abuse and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and sentenced to a year in the county jail.
The pair divorced and split their assets, but had a hearing for the case scheduled for Sept. 1, court records show.
This article was originally published by the New York Post and was reproduced here with permission.
SOURCE: NEWS.COM.AU
https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/hero-survivor-13-of-michigan-maniacs-shooting-spree-called-911-despite-being-shot-several-times/news-story/5ea03f7dcc3e1b4f636d649707b4ed48
