A quiet morning in the Lake City, Michigan, area was shattered on Friday, August 14, 2026, by an act of shocking violence that would leave a family and community reeling. At a residence on South LaChance Road, 41-year-old Amanda Everitt and her teenage son, Eric, were fatally shot. The horror of the event was amplified by the bravery of Amanda's 13-year-old daughter, Bella, who, despite being critically injured in the attack, managed to call 911 for help.
Her call initiated a massive law enforcement response to the tragic scene, where first responders discovered the deceased mother and son. Bella was rushed to a hospital in Grand Rapids for treatment of her injuries, where she was reported to be in critical condition but later stabilized.
The information provided by the young survivor helped investigators quickly identify a person of interest, 39-year-old Chad Hickman of the Lake City/Jennings area. As law enforcement descended on the area, a search for Hickman, who was considered armed and dangerous, began. The search for Hickman led to further tragic discoveries. Authorities found another deceased individual at a separate location, and it was later reported that Hickman had also killed his sister, Heather. In total, Hickman was responsible for the deaths of five people before fleeing. Troopers eventually located his white pickup truck abandoned near a wooded area, intensifying the search with the assistance of a K9 team.
The manhunt concluded with the discovery that Chad Hickman had died by suicide, bringing the total death count to six. The incident, described as a deadly shooting spree, left the Missaukee County community in mourning over the senseless loss of life. Amanda Everitt was remembered by loved ones as a beloved mother and a valued member of her community. The case stands as a grim reminder of the devastating impact of gun violence. The investigation pieced together a timeline that began with a violent domestic incident and spread to claim multiple lives, forever altering the lives of the survivors and the community at large. The tragic event saw a mother and her son killed, a young daughter left to recover from serious injuries, and several other lives lost before the suspect ended his own.
