Video above: Authorities give update after shooting, fire at Michigan church
(NEXSTAR) — At least one person is dead and 10 more injured after a man drove through the front doors of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan on Sunday. Authorities believe there may be more victims within the church, which appears to have been deliberately set on fire by the suspect.
The suspect was prnounced dead following an exchange of gunfire with authorities, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said during an afternoon press conference.
According to Renye, shortly before 10:30 a.m. ET, the suspect, identified only as a 40-year-old man, drove through the front doors of the church, located about 50 miles north of Detroit. The man then allegedly got out of the vehicle and fired several rounds at members of the church.
There were hundreds of people in the church at the time, Renye explained during Sunday’s press conference, as a service was in session.
Ten people were taken to area hospitals and one person was pronounced dead, Renye said. Some of those who have been hospitalized are in critical condition as of Sunday afternoon.
An officer with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and an officer from a local municipality were the first to respond to the scene, authorities said. They exchanged fire with the suspect, who has since been pronounced deceased.
Authorities did not identified the man during Sunday’s press conference, but said they would be executing search warrants and search for a motive as part of their investigation. There is no further threat to the public, according to authorities.
Investigators have not yet determined when the fire that engulfed the church was set or where it began, though preliminary information has led police to believe the suspect did it “deliberately.” The fire has been put out, and the search for additional victims who may not have been able to escape the church is underway, authorities said Sunday afternoon.
Multiple people were shot at a Mormon church in Grand Blanc, Michigan, on Sept. 28, 2025. The church was also set on fire, authorities said. (The Associated Press)
The FBI has provided agents to help investigators speak with the hundreds of people who witnessed the incident, and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are on scene.
FBI director Kash Patel said his agency was “tracking reports of the horrific shooting and fire at an LDS church in Grand Blanc, Michigan.” Attorney General Pam Bondi is also “receiving briefings,” Nexstar’s The Hill reported.
Multiple emergency vehicles, including several fire trucks, ambulances, and at least one vehicle belonging to the State Police Bomb Squad, were on scene.
The church, circled by a parking lot and a large lawn, is located near residential areas and a Jehovah’s Witness church in Grand Blanc. The community of roughly 8,000 people is just outside Flint.
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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement that her heart is breaking for the Grand Blanc community. “Violence anywhere especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable,” she said.
The shooting occurred the morning after Russell M. Nelson, the oldest-ever president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died at 101. The next president of the faith, known widely as the Mormon church, is expected to be Dallin H. Oaks, per church protocol.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
