A quiet morning in the Lake City area ended in violence on Friday, August 14, 2026, when 41-year-old Amanda Everitt and her teenage son Eric were fatally shot at a home on South LaChance Road. Amanda’s 13-year-old daughter Bella was critically injured in the same attack but managed to place a 911 call; her information helped investigators identify a person of interest.

Authorities focused on 39-year-old Chad Hickman of the Lake City/Jennings area. As law enforcement searched for him, they discovered additional victims at other locations, including Hickman’s sister Heather, bringing the investigator-attributed death toll connected to the attacker to five before he fled. Troopers later found Hickman’s white pickup abandoned near woods and ultimately reported his death by suicide, raising the total deaths to six. Bella was flown to a Grand Rapids hospital and was later stabilized.

Amanda is remembered by family as a beloved mother and community member. If anyone in Missaukee County has information about Amanda, her family, or the events of August 14, please come forward.