Police from Farmington Hills and West Bloomfield, Michigan, responded to an active shooting situation Thursday afternoon at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township.
The incident occurred just after 12:30 p.m. local time.
A member of security engaged the suspect “in gunfire” after the individual apparently rammed a vehicle into the synagogue, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. That person was found deceased in his vehicle, authorities said. His cause of death is unknown.
“Something ignited in the vehicle” to start the fire, authorities told reporters.
Multiple security officers were on scene, one was injured after being hit by the car. He has since been taken to the hospital for treatment, authorities said.
No other injuries were reported. All children and staff who were known to have been in the building are accounted for, authorities said. Responders were working on reuniting children with their families.
“No one was hurt. We are on top of it. Everything that was supposed to happen, happened. Security did their job and responders did theirs,” Bouchard said.
How the incident unfolded
Shortly after the incident was reported, FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X that FBI personnel were on the scene responding to “the apparent vehicle ramming and active shooter situation” at the synagogue.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office also issued a statement on social media, while the Ann Arbor Police Department said it was increasing patrols as a precaution.
Police confirmed to NBC News that Bloomfield Hills schools are “in secure mode due to an ongoing incident in West Bloomfield.”
Authorities asked community members to avoid the area.
“It’s a work in progress, so that’s why we’re sheltering in place until we figure it out. It’s a big facility with a lot of land around it,” Bouchard told reporters.
The sheriff said it is still too early to determine the attackers’ motive.
The Temple Israel synagogue, located about 40 miles from downtown Detroit, serves a large congregation in Michigan, calling itself “the nation’s largest Reform synagogue,” accounting for 1% of the Reform movement in North America. The synagogue serves about 3,500 families, about a 12,000 member congregation, and operates a preschool, according to the temple.
“At Temple Israel, our mission is to be an inclusive congregation that demonstrates respect for the needs of all,” the temple shares. “Our Jewish values embody the teaching that every human being is created in the image of God.”
It is the second attack on a Michigan house of worship in less than six months.
The incident comes 5½ months after an assailant drove a vehicle into a Latter-day Saint church building in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, shooting four people and setting fire to the meetinghouse before he was killed.
Bloomfield is 40 miles southeast of Grand Blanc.
This is a developing story.
