Law enforcement respond near Temple Israel after a report of an active shooter Thursday in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
Emily Elkonin/Getty Images
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Emily Elkonin/Getty Images
The suspect in Thursday’s active shooting at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan has been killed, 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 “broke the building” through the doors and drove down a corridor of the large building and stopped inside, where it was confronted by security.
A body was found inside the truck, Bouchard said. While security “shot the suspect,” Bouchard said it was unclear how the man died. “Something burned in the vehicle,” the sheriff said. After some time, thick, black smoke could be seen coming from the building.
James Dare, special agent in charge of the Detroit Field Office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, 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 hospital where he is expected to recover. Bouchard said everyone inside the building has been identified and no one else was injured.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Temple Israel said that “all 140 students” at their early childhood center, their staff and teachers, and “our heroic security personnel” are all safe.
“As you have no doubt heard, Temple Israel was the victim of a terrorist gunman who was confronted and killed by our security personnel, who are true heroes,” the post said. “Our teachers followed their training and kept the children safe and calm.”
The synagogue said it is unsure about future programming or services.
A large number of law enforcement officers and emergency personnel responded to Temple Israel Thursday afternoon following a report of an active shooter.
Bouchard told reporters he could not say whether the attack was linked to terrorism. Ever since the war in Iran led by America and Israel started, concern about retaliatory action has increased. Bouchard asked residents living within a one-mile radius of Temple Israel to shelter in place.
Like almost all Jewish places of worship in America, this synagogue also has its own security officers. It also operates a school, and parents were rushing to a nearby reunification centre.
In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel says federal agents were at the scene “responding to an apparent vehicle collision and active shooter situation.”
Michigan State Police said on social media that it was “increasing patrols at other places of worship in the area.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called the incident “heartbreaking”, adding that Michigan’s “Jewish community deserves to be able to live in peace and practice their faith.” “Anti-Semitism and violence have no place in Michigan,” the governor said in a post on Twitter.
The truck ramming incident on Thursday is similar to the second attack on a religious building in the state last year.
In September, a man drove a truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building during a Sunday service in Grand Blanc, Michigan. After this the person fired the gun and set the building on fire. Four people died, and eight others were injured.
West Bloomfield and Grand Blanc are approximately 35 miles apart.
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