The shooter who drove a truck carrying explosives into a Michigan synagogue with an attached preschool has been killed, officials say.
The truck caught fire after ‘something ignited’ when the gunman smashed into the Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township on Thursday.
A man armed with a rifle was found dead inside the vehicle, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard. Officials have not yet disclosed how he died.
Sheriff Bouchard previously confirmed that synagogue security engaged in gunfire with the suspect after the he drove into the building.
Emergency responders also found a ‘large amount of explosives’ in the back of the vehicle, a law enforcement source told CNN.
Investigators are still working to identify the shooter and a possible motive for the attack, a source told the Associated Press. The investigation is still in the early stages.
No students or staff were injured in the attack. About a dozen parents sprinted into the building to get their children after getting approval from police.
A security guard was taken to the hospital after being struck by the vehicle, but is expected to recover.
Early reports from the scene suggest the vehicle deliberately plowed into the child early learning center. Authorities are investigating whether multiple assailants were involved in the attack.
Officers responded to the synagogue, seen here, on Thursday with smoke seen coming out of the roof and a side door
An apparently frightened woman gathers children from Temple Israel synagogue, which has an early childhood center, in West Bloomfield Township after a gunmen opened fire
Law enforcement respond to the active shooter situation at Temple Israel synagogue
Images obtained by WDIV show a large police presence on the scene with smoke coming out of windows and a vent on the roof.
Scores of police vehicles from neighboring departments, a SWAT team, bomb technicians and bomb-sniffing dogs have responded to the scene.
The synagogue is a reform Jewish place of worship that has a preschool attached to it. It has one of the largest congregations in the country and was open at the time.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s office said authorities are working to clear the building.
‘He breached the building, drove down the hall, and he was engaged by security,’ Bouchard said of the armed assailant. ‘We can’t say what killed him at this point, but security did engage the suspect with gunfire.’
The sheriff said the suspect appeared to be alone in the vehicle and police dogs were checking the car for explosives.
‘It’s been complicated because there’s some fire, to say the least, with that vehicle.’
One woman who spoke WDIV named Lisa said that the preschool was in use at the time.
She told the outlet: ‘I’m scared to death for my friends, I’ve never seen anything like this. My first thought was the children.
‘Parents and grandparents are coming and they’re scared to death for their children. This is senseless, this is not okay.’
People gather near Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan
Families embrace outside of a Michigan synagogue after an assailant drove truck into the building on Thursday afternoon
Law enforcement respond near Temple Israel following reports of an active shooter
Emergency personnel respond to a reported shooting incident at Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan
As she spoke several adults could be seen embracing one another in tears as they stood in front of a police line.
State Police said: ‘The Michigan State Police is aware of an active shooting incident that is ongoing in West Bloomfield.
‘We are asking for community members to stay away from the area to allow for police response. Troopers are also increasing patrols at other places of worship in the district.’
West Bloomfield School District said: ‘We have been alerted by the West Bloomfield Police Department of a police situation in the community.’
The Jewish Federation of Detroit said: ‘We are aware of an active security incident at Temple Israel. Law enforcement are responding.
‘Our Jewish agencies are currently in precautionary lockdown We ask community members to stay away from the area at this time.’
FBI Director Kash Patel said that bureau personnel were on the scene assisting in efforts. President Donald Trump has been briefed on the attack.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a statement saying she was tracking developments.
‘This is heartbreaking,’ she said. ‘Michigan’s Jewish community should be able to live and practice their faith in peace.’
An armed officer responds to the active shooter incident at Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan
Scores of police vehicles from neighboring departments, a SWAT team, bomb technicians and bomb-sniffing dogs have responded to the scene
Dozens of police cars are seen here on the scene
Temple Israel calls itself the nation’s largest Reform synagogue, with 12,000 members, according to its website.
It has an early childhood education center and offers educational programs for families and adults.
The website says the synagogue is ‘passionate about helping Jewish communities across the globe’ and that its mission is to ‘create a community building through the lens of Reform Judaism.’
Sheriff Bouchard said law enforcement had been on high alert since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran nearly two weeks ago.
‘We’ve been talking for two weeks about the potential, sadly, of this happening,’ he said. ‘So there was no lack of preparation.
The sheriff added: ‘All Jewish facilities in the area are going to have a lot of extra presence around it until we figure this out.’
The Jewish Federation of Detroit has advised all Jewish organizations in the area ‘to go into lockout protocol – nobody in or out of your building.’
FBI Detroit led an Active Shooter Attack Prevention and Preparedness (ASAPP) training for the clergy and staff of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield in late January, nearly two months before Thursday’s attack.
The synagogue is a reform Jewish place of worship that has a preschool attached to it
The FBI and hundreds of law enforcement officers raced to Temple Israel in West Bloomfield as smoke billowed from the building
‘The FBI course combines lessons learned from years of research and employs scenario-based exercises to help participants practice the decision-making process of the Run, Hide, Fight principles and take necessary actions for survival,’ the agency wrote in a post on X.
‘We appreciate them for having us. Our Division has partnered with many organizations in Michigan and is committed to protecting schools, workplaces, houses of worship, medical facilities, transportation centers, government facilities, other public gathering sites, and communities.’
Sheriff Bouchard has praised Temple Israel security for their response to the active shooter.
‘I’m deeply proud of the response not only from the security that was on site but also of all the police officers and the firefighters that are here now,’ she said.
‘Training certainly helped to mitigate what happened here today.
‘Everything that was supposed to happen, happened. Security did their job, and then the responders did theirs.’
