NEW YORK, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- A 39-year-old gunman killed five people and then himself in a series of killings on Friday in the U.S. state of Michigan, state police said.

This undated poster provided by The Michigan State Police (MSP) Seventh District, shows suspect Chad Hickman, who was the suspect in the killing of 5 people and found dead on Friday, Aug.14, 2026. (Photo: AP)

Police said in a statement that officers were responding to reports of a shooting at a home in Missaukee County at about 11:40 a.m. local time (1540 GMT), when they found three people dead and another critically injured.

The suspect, Chad Hickman, had fled the scene before law enforcement arrived, prompting a "large-scale" manhunt, police said, adding that during the search, they found a fourth person dead at another home.

Hickman's vehicle was spotted near Whitlock Lake in Caldwell Township, leading officers to his body and another dead person in the woods, police said.

A motive for the killings was not immediately known. Authorities said an investigation is underway.