GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Mich. (FOX 2) – Two people are dead, including the shooter, and nine others are hospitalized after a shooting Sunday morning at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, according to police.
Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said a 40-year-old Burton man rammed a vehicle into the church on McCandlish Road before opening fire on hundreds of people who were worshiping.
What we know:
Police sources said that six to eight people were struck. Their conditions are currently unknown.
Video from the scene showed smoke billowing as emergency vehicles lined the street. Sources said the suspected shooter may have started the church on fire. Grand Blanc confirmed that as of 11:35 a.m., the church was on fire, and people should avoid the area.
Police said the shooter is down, and there is no threat to the public at this time.
“The shooter is down, we do have multiple victims, the entire church is on fire,” Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said.
Local perspective:
Witness Brian Taylor said churchgoers thought someone had accidentally hit the building at first. He said church started at 10 a.m. and the service was happening when there was a loud noise and a crack in the chapel wall.
“We heard a large, just a large bang,” he said.
Taylor said churchgoers went outside to help, but soon realized it wasn’t an accident. He described seeing a man he did not recognize driving a truck armed with a rifle before the shooting started.
As Taylor and his wife tried to drive away, he said the suspect shot at their vehicle, causing their windshield to shatter. Taylor suffered a hand injury from shrapnel.
What we don’t know:
The conditions of the victims are not known.
What they’re saying:
United States Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X that agents from the FBI and ATF are headed to the scene.
“Such violence at a place of worship is heartbreaking and chilling. Please join me in praying for the victims of this terrible tragedy,” she wrote.
Stay with FOX 2 for updates on this breaking news story.
The Source: This information is from Grand Blanc police and police sources.
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