Michigan Church Shooting Leaves Four dead, Eight Injured; Follows Similar Incident in North Carolina
A shooting at a church in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, on saturday resulted in the deaths of at least four people adn left eight others hospitalized with injuries. Police discovered two additional bodies within the church’s debris several hours after the initial incident, cautioning that the number of victims could rise as the building has not yet been fully searched. “There are some missing people,” stated Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye at a press conference.
The shooter, identified as a veteran, drove a vehicle into the church building.Two law enforcement agents arrived on the scene within 30 seconds of receiving emergency calls and fatally shot the suspect approximately eight minutes after the incident began, Renye reported.
Investigators believe the shooter utilized a gasoline accelerant to intensify a fire within the church and recovered some explosives. The FBI is leading the inquiry, classifying the event as “an act of directed violence.” Authorities are currently searching the gunman’s home and phone records for further details.
Records from the US military confirm the shooter served as a Marine from 2004 to 2008, including a deployment to Iraq.
This shooting occurred less than 14 hours after another incident in North Carolina, where Nigel Max Edge, a 40-year-old Navy veteran who also served in Iraq, is accused of shooting at a bar near Southport, killing three people and injuring five. Edge has been charged with three counts of qualified homicide and five counts of attempted murder.court documents reveal Edge, formerly known as Sean William Debevoise, is a decorated Marine who reportedly suffered a traumatic brain injury during his service in iraq and had previously filed a rejected lawsuit against the US government.
Witnesses at the Michigan church described hearing “a big crash and the doors exploded.” One witness,identified as Paula,told WXYZ television she had lost friends in the shooting and that children from her Sunday school class were among the injured.
US President Donald Trump released a statement on social media characterizing the shooting as “another attack on Christians in the United States” and calling for an end to the “violence epidemic” in the country.
The church is affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The shooting in Michigan marks the 324th mass shooting in the US in 2025, according to the gun Violence Archive. It was the third mass shooting in the US within a 24-hour period, following the North Carolina shooting and an incident at a casino in Eagle Pass, Texas, where at least two people were killed and several others injured.