Authorities say a man who crashed a vehicle into a suburban Detroit synagogue and allegedly opened fire was killed after being confronted by security personnel Thursday afternoon. Officials confirmed that no students or staff inside the building were injured; eight first responders were being treated at an area hospital.
Law enforcement responded to reports of an active shooter at around 1:35 p.m. Thursday in the area of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, a suburb northwest of Detroit, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the suspect drove a truck through the synagogue’s entrance and continued down a hallway inside the building before exiting the vehicle with what authorities believe was a rifle. Authorities said the truck caught fire after crashing into the building’s front entrance. Investigators are carefully examining the vehicle and checking it for potential explosives as a precaution. “Something ignited in the vehicle. That’s a work in progress,” Bouchard said.
According to law enforcement sources, synagogue security engaged the suspect in gunfire shortly after the crash. The man was killed during the confrontation, though officials have not publicly detailed exactly how he died. Investigators say he was the only person inside the truck.
Officials also confirmed that everyone believed to have been inside the building at the time has been accounted for.“No kids or no staff were injured whatsoever,” Bouchard said, adding that one security guard was struck by the vehicle during the incident and was briefly knocked unconscious. Other members of the security team pulled him to safety after the collision, and the was taken to a nearby hospital and is expected to recover. “Security did their job, and then the responders did theirs,” Bouchard said.
Several law enforcement agencies responded to the scene, including West Bloomfield police, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan State Police, and federal agents. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that FBI personnel were assisting with the response, with officials urging the public to avoid the area while investigators cleared the building and secured the scene.
Temple Israel, located on Walnut Lake Road near Drake Road, describes itself as the largest Reform synagogue in the United States, with about 12,000 members. The facility includes an early childhood education center and hosts a variety of programs for families and adults. The synagogue later confirmed in a statement on Facebook that all 140 students at Temple Israel’s childhood center were accounted for, as well as the teachers and staff. The synagogue credited its “heroic security personnel” for confronting the gunman, and expressed gratitude to those at the Shenendoah Country Club for sheltering its students and staff in the wake of the attack – “What incredible neighbors we have,” Temple Israel said. “What incredible police force we have.”
As a precaution, several nearby schools — including West Bloomfield High School, West Bloomfield Middle School, Doherty Elementary School, and schools in the Bloomfield Hills district — were placed in secure mode. The Jewish Federation of Detroit also advised Jewish organizations in the region to go into “lockout protocol,” temporarily restricting entry and exit.
Editorial credit: Focused Adventures / Shutterstock.com
