One dead, nine injured in shooting at Mormon church in Michigan: Police | News

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Local police say the shooter is down and the church, located in Grand Blanc Township, is on fire.

One person has been killed and nine injured in a shooting at a church belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Michigan in the United States, according to police.

The suspect is also dead, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said on Sunday.

“There are multiple victims, and the shooter is down. There is no threat to the public at this time. The church is actively on fire,” his police department said in a post on Facebook as it urged people to avoid the area.

Smoke billowed from the building as firefighters sprayed the blaze with water while fire trucks and emergency vehicles were parked nearby, footage on social media showed.

The suspect ran a vehicle into the front door of the church, exited and opened fire, the police were quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency.

A police official said they expected further victims to be found in the fire, it added.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer condemned Sunday’s shooting in a statement, adding that her heart was breaking for the Grand Blanc community. “Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable,” she said.

US President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the “horrendous” shooting.

“The suspect is dead, but there is still a lot to learn,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform as he encouraged the American public to pray for the victims and their families.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is informally known as the Mormons. Grand Blanc, a town of 7,700 people, is located about 100km (60 miles) northwest of Detroit.

The shooting came the day after the death of the 101-year-old Mormon leader Russell Nelson.