Four dead after gunman opens fire in a Michigan Mormon church service before setting it on fire
In short:
US police say they have shot dead a man who they suspect rammed his truck into a Mormon church and opened fire before setting the building on fire.
Four other people were killed and eight were injured, with more victims expected to be found, local authorities in the state of Michigan say.
Police have identified the suspect as Thomas Jacob Sanford, a former US marine and Iraq war veteran.
An ex-marine has opened fire inside a Michigan church and set the building ablaze during a crowded Sunday service, killing four people and injuring eight, before he was fatally shot by police.
Local Police Chief William Renye said one of the wounded was in critical condition and seven others were stable.
The suspect has been identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, from neighbouring Burton, said Chief Renye.
Hundreds of people were inside the Grand Blanc church when the 40-year-old rammed his pick-up truck through the front door, then got out of the vehicle and started shooting, the police chief told reporters.
The suspect apparently then used gas to start the fire, and also had explosive devices but it wasn't clear if he used them, said special agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, James Dier.
The FBI said it was leading the investigation of what it considered "an act of targeted violence".
A pick-up truck rammed through the front doors of the church. (AP: Lukas Katilius/The Flint Journal)
Officers responded to a 911 call and were at the church within 30 seconds and killed the shooter about seven minutes later, Chief Renye said.
Flames and smoke could be seen pouring from the church for hours before the blaze was put out.
First responders were then seen sifting through the wreckage.
"We do believe we will find some additional victims once we find the area where the fire was," Chief Renye said.
Local authorities said the FBI was sending 100 agents to the Grand Blanc Township.
About 40,000 people live in The Grand Blanc township, a government unit in south-east Genesee County, Michigan.
Motive not yet clear
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Monday that the shooter "hated people of the Mormon faith".
"[The FBI] are trying to understand more about this, how premeditated it was, how much planning went into it, whether he left a note, all of those questions have yet to be answered, but certainly will be answered by the FBI," she said.
Chief Reyne did not specify a motive for the shooting at a news conference on Sunday evening.
Investigators are searching the suspect's residence in nearby Burton and have cordoned off the street leading to his home.
US military records show the suspect, Mr Sanford, was a US marine from 2004 to 2008 and an Iraq war veteran, according to military records obtained by The Detroit News.
Chief of Police William Renye addressed the media after the shooting. (AP/ Carlos Osorio)
Coincidentally, another 40-year-old marine veteran who served in Iraq is a suspect in a North Carolina shooting that killed three people and wounded five others less than 14 hours before the Michigan incident.
Police in Southport, North Carolina, accused Nigel Max Edge of firing on a waterfront bar from a boat on Saturday night.
Mr Edge has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder, police said.
According to court records, a federal lawsuit that Mr Edge had filed against the US government, and others, describes him as a decorated Marine who suffered severe wounds including traumatic brain injury in Iraq.
US President Donald Trump said he was briefed on the shooting.
Authorities say they believe the suspect deliberately lit the church on fire. (AP: Jose Juarez)
In a social media post, he applauded the FBI, which local authorities said was sending 100 agents to the area, for responding.
"PRAY for the victims, and their families. THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!" Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Tight-knit church community
The impact spread quickly to neighbouring communities, including the small city that shares a name with the township.
"Although we are two separate governmental units, we are a very cohesive community," Grand Blanc Mayor John Creasey said.
"This sort of thing is painful for our entire community. I'm struggling to digest all that has happened, and my heart goes out to all of the affected families."
Timothy Jones, 48, said his family was part of another Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation, or ward, about 15 minutes away, but that his children were at the Grand Blanc Township ward the night before the shooting for a youth fall festival.
Hundreds of people were inside the church when the gunman started shooting. (AP: Lukas Katilius/The Flint Journal)
He and his family moved to Flint two years ago in large part because of the area's strong faith community.
As people in his congregation got word of the shooting from texts and phone calls during their own Sunday service, the church went into lockdown and police came as a precaution, he said.
His children were "frantically, just trying to get word that people were OK".
Sundays are "supposed to be a time of peace and a time of reflection and worship," Mr Jones said.
Yet in the wake of violence at other houses of worship across religions, a shooting "feels inevitable, and all the more tragic because of that," he added.
Flint is known for having a tight-knit church community. (AP: Lukas Katilius/The Flint Journal)
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement that her heart was breaking for the 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 is expected to be Dallin H Oaks, per church protocol.
"The church is in communication with local law enforcement as the investigation continues and as we receive updates on the condition of those affected," Doug Anderson, a spokesperson for the Utah-based faith, said in a statement.
Aerial footage shows the church fully engulfed in flame. (AP: Julie J, @Malkowski6April)
"Places of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection. We pray for peace and healing for all involved."
Some nurses striking over contract negotiations at nearby Henry Ford Hospital left the picket line and ran the short distance to the church to help first responders, Teamsters Local 332 President Dan Glass said.
"Human lives matter more than our labour dispute," Mr Glass said.
AP