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.
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’s been heightened concern about retaliation. Bouchard asked residents within one 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.
In a post on X, the FBI director, Kash Patel, says federal agents were on the scene “responding to the apparent vehicle ramming and active shooter situation.”
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.”