Patel says FBI assisting response to Michigan Mormon church shooting

FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency is tracking reports of Sunday’s deadly shooting at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Michigan.

“We are tracking reports of the horrific shooting and fire at an LDS church in Grand Blanc, Michigan. @FBI agents are on the scene to assist local authorities,” Patel said in a post on the social platform X.

“Violence in a place of worship is a cowardly and criminal act. Our prayers are with the victims and their families during this terrible tragedy,” he added.

Attorney General Pam Bondi also said on X that she was “receiving briefings about what appears to be a horrific shooting and fire at an LDS church in Grand Blanc, Michigan.”

“@FBI and @ATFHQ agents are en route to the scene now,” she added. “Such violence at a place of worship is heartbreaking and chilling. Please join me in praying for the victims of this terrible tragedy.”

Authorities said one person was dead and 10 others injured after a man drove through the front doors of the church. The suspect was declared dead after an exchange of gunfire with authorities, the local police chief said during a press conference Sunday afternoon.

“There is NO threat to the public at this time. The church is actively on fire,” the Grand Blanc Township Police Department said in a Facebook post.

Sunday’s shooting in Michigan also follows another recent shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school in late August.

President Trump in a Sunday post on Truth Social said he had been briefed on the shooting, calling it “horrendous.”

“The FBI was immediately on scene, and will be leading the Federal Investigation, and providing full support to State and Local Officials. The suspect is dead, but there is still a lot to learn,” Trump said in his post.

In the same post, he also claimed the shooting appeared to be “another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America,” and asked to pray for the victims.

“EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY,” he added.

Updated at 2:06 p.m. EDT

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