Grand Blanc Township, Sept 29: At least four people were killed and eight injured when a gunman in a pickup truck smashed through the doors of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Michigan during a Sunday service attended by hundreds, opened fire and set the building ablaze. Police shot and killed the suspect, authorities said.
The attack occurred at about 10:25 am. The gunman got out of the four-door pickup with two American flags in the truck and started shooting, Police Chief William Renye told reporters.
He apparently used gas to start the fire and also had explosive devices but it wasn’t clear if he used them, said James Dier of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Authorities identified the shooter as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, of the neighbouring small town of Burton. The FBI is leading the investigation and considered it an “act of targeted violence,” said Ruben Coleman, a special agent in charge for the bureau.
Officers responding to a 911 call were at the church within 30 seconds and killed the shooter about eight minutes later, Renye said. After the suspect left the church, two officers pursued him and “engaged in gunfire,” the chief said.
Renye said people inside the church during the attack were “shielding children” and “moving them to safety.”
Flames and smoke could be seen pouring from the large church for hours before the blaze was put out. The bodies of two of the victims were found as authorities searched the debris, Renye said.
He said authorities had yet to make it though the entire church and that more victims could be found. One of the wounded people was in critical condition Sunday evening and the seven others were stable.
Renye said “some” people were unaccounted for, but he didn’t have an exact number.
Michigan State Police Lt. Kim Vetter said bomb threats were made at other churches in the area after officers shot and killed Sanford. No bombs were found and police were investigating the threats.
The motive not yet clear
Investigators were searching Sanford’s residence but authorities did not say what they found or provide any additional details about him, including whether he was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church.
It was the latest of many shooting attacks on houses of worship in the US over the past 20 years, including one in August that killed two children during Mass at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis.
It also was the second mass shooting in the US in less than 24 hours. On Saturday night, a man in a boat opened fire on a crowd in Southport, North Carolina, killing three and injuring five,
President Donald Trump said in a social media post that he was briefed on the Michigan shooting and applauded the FBI for its response. Local authorities said the FBI was sending 100 agents to Grand Blanc Township, a community of roughly 40,000 people outside Flint.
“PRAY for the victims, and their families. THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump wrote.
The church building, circled by a parking lot and a large lawn, is near residential areas and a Jehovah’s Witness church.
Brad Schneemann, whose home is about 400 yards (365 meters) from the church, told The Associated Press that he and his daughter heard “two rounds of four to five shots” around 10:30 am. “Then, we really didn’t hear anything for a while” before they left their home to see what was going on. (AP)
