At least four people were killed and eight were wounded when an armed attacker drove a car into a church in Michigan, started shooting, and set the building on fire, local police announced.
The attack on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, a town 100 kilometers from Detroit, happened while hundreds of believers were attending Sunday service.
The suspect is Thomas Jacob Sanford, a 40-year-old from Burton, Michigan, whom police officers killed after the attack in the parking lot of the religious facility.
The incident is being treated as an “act of directed violence,” but the motive is not yet known, local authorities say.
Two victims succumbed to their injuries after being shot, said William Rayner, Chief of Police in Grand Blanc.
He later confirmed that two more dead had been found, and that “some” were still being searched for.
He could not say how many people were involved.
On Sunday evening, the church was still being “cleared” after the great damage inflicted on it, he added.
“Hundreds” were attending the service on Sunday around 10:25 a.m. local time, when the attacker drove a vehicle into the building, Rayner said.
He started shooting with a weapon resembling an automatic rifle, “firing several magazines into the people who were in the church,” the police chief added.
Officers immediately came to the scene of the attack and “exchanged fire with the attacker, and then neutralized him,” Rayner confirmed.
Sanford was killed at 10:33 local time, eight minutes after he started the attack.
“We are still trying to determine when, where, and how exactly the fire started in the church,” Rayner said.
The attacker used a flammable substance, most likely gasoline, to start the fire, local authorities said.
Rayner also praised the “heroism” of the attending believers, who hid children in the church during the shooting.
Investigators are searching the suspect’s house and examining the contents of his phone in an effort to determine the motive for the attack.
Sanford was previously a U.S. Marine, reported CBS television, a BBC partner.
The investigation is led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the crisis team, bomb disposal experts, and others are also participating, said Reuben Coleman, special agent and head of the FBI in Detroit.
Security services also examined additional bomb threats at several other locations on the ground, confirmed Kim Vetter, spokeswoman for the police of the US state of Michigan.
“We responded and cleared those locations,” she added.
Confirmation that the attack occurred and that “multiple individuals were injured” also came from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“We pray for peace and healing for all who were there,” they added.
A total of 100 FBI agents are participating in the investigation, the Grand Blanc police announced.
Who are the Mormons?
‘The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ is a religious movement that originated in America in the mid-19th century.
They believe in Christ, but the Book of Mormon is more important to them than the Bible, which they consider inaccurate.
Mormons advocate a healthy and moderate life – they are forbidden to drink coffee, tea, alcohol, consume drugs, and tobacco, writes Britannica.
They pay great attention to marital communities and having children.
Believers are required to give a significant part of their income to the community, so they are considered a wealthy group.
The Church has more than 16 million members in 160 countries around the world.
Trump: ‘Another attack on Christians’
U.S. President Donald Trump described the attack as “another attack on Christians in the United States.”
Pam Bondi, U.S. Attorney General, wrote on X that “this kind of violence in a religious facility breaks the heart and causes a chill.”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer also condemned the attack.
“Violence is unacceptable anywhere, and especially in a place of worship,” she said.
The shooting was called a “tragedy” by Mitt Romney, former senator of the state of Utah and one of the most prominent Mormon politicians.
“My brothers and sisters and their church were the target of violence.
“I pray for healing and comfort,” Romney concluded.
The deadly church attack occurred just a few weeks after the murder of Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and follower of Donald Trump, while he was talking to a crowd in the courtyard of the University of Utah.
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Source: Danas; Photo: Heem Vaniawala / Reuters