Updated March 12, 20262:36 PM ET
The suspect in Thursday's active shooting at Temple Israel in West
Bloomfield, Mich., is dead, according to federal and local law
enforcement officials.
Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard
said a man drove a truck into the synagogue. Security officers "engaged
with the suspect" and began firing at him. The vehicle then "breached
the building" through the doors and drove down a hallway of the large
building and stopped inside, where security confronted him.
Bouchard
said a body was found inside the truck. While security "did engage the
suspect with gunfire," Bouchard said it's unclear how the man died. The
sheriff said, "Something ignited in the vehicle." Thick, black smoke
could be seen billowing from the building not long after.
The special agent in charge of the Detroit field office of the
U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, James Deir,
confirmed the suspect's death.
Bouchard said the vehicle struck
one of the synagogue's security members, knocking him unconscious. The
guard was taken to the hospital, where he was expected to recover.
Bouchard said everyone inside the building has been accounted for and
there are no other injuries.
The FBI said Thursday evening it was taking over the investigation of the attack.
"We
are leading the investigation as a targeted act of violence against the
Jewish community," said Jennifer Runyan, the FBI special agent in
charge of the Detroit office. She described the attack on Temple Israel
as a "deeply disturbing and tragic incident."
Authorities did not release the suspect's name or a motive.
In a statement posted on Facebook,
Temple Israel said "all 140 students" in its early childhood center,
the staff, the teachers and "our heroic security personnel" are safe and
accounted for.
"As you have no doubt heard, Temple Israel was
the victim of a terrorist gunman who was confronted and neutralized by
our security personnel who are truly heroes," the post said. "Our
teachers followed their training and kept the children safe and calm."
The synagogue said it's unsure about future programming or services.
Scores
of law enforcement officers and emergency personnel responded to Temple
Israel following reports of an active shooter Thursday afternoon.
Bouchard
told reporters he could not say whether the attack had any links to
terrorism. Since the U.S.- and Israel-led war in Iran began, there has
been heightened concern about retaliation. Bouchard asked residents
within 1 mile of Temple Israel to shelter in place.
This
synagogue, like nearly all Jewish places of worship in the U.S., has its
own security officers. It also operates a school, and parents were
rushing to a nearby reunification center.
The Detroit office of
the FBI went to Temple Israel in late January and led an "Active
Shooter Attack Prevention and Preparedness (ASAPP) training" for the
clergy and staff at the synagogue. In a Jan. 30 post
on X, the FBI said the course "combines lessons learned from years of
research and employs scenario-based exercises to help participants
practice the decision-making process … and take necessary actions for
survival."
The Michigan State Police said on social media that it's "increasing patrols at other places of worship in the area."
Michigan
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called the incident "heartbreaking," saying
Michigan's "Jewish community should be able to live and practice their
faith in peace." In a post on X, the governor said, "Antisemitism and violence have no place in Michigan."
President
Trump said Thursday afternoon that he had been "fully briefed" about
the situation in Michigan. He gave brief remarks at the top of a Women's
History Month event at the White House.
"I want to send our
love to the Michigan Jewish community and all of the people in Detroit,
Detroit area, following the attack on the Jewish synagogue early today,"
he said. "And I've been briefed, fully briefed, and it's a terrible
thing, but it goes on. We're going to be right down to the bottom of it.
It's absolutely incredible that things like this happen."
The truck-ramming incident Thursday is similar to another attack on a religious building in the state last year.
In
September, a man drove a truck into a Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints building during a Sunday service in Grand Blanc,
Michigan. The man then fired a gun and set the building on fire. Four
people died, and eight others were injured.
West Bloomfield and Grand Blanc are about 35 miles apart.
