A 40-year-old man rammed a pickup truck through the front door of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, during a Sunday service, opening fire on worshippers and setting the building ablaze.
The attack left at least two people dead and eight others injured, including children, before police fatally shot the suspect.
The motive remains unclear as authorities investigate.
The suspect, a resident of nearby Burton, Michigan, used an assault rifle in the attack, according to Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye.
After crashing into the church, he fired multiple rounds at congregants and deliberately set a fire that engulfed the building.
Two officers pursued the gunman outside, engaging in a shootout that resulted in his death.
The fire, now extinguished, may have trapped additional victims, with authorities expecting to find more casualties as they search the wreckage.
A bomb squad is also assessing a suspicious item found on church property.
The attack has shaken the tight-knit community of Grand Blanc Township, a suburb of Flint with about 40,000 residents.
“This sort of thing is painful for our entire community,” said Mayor John Creasey of the nearby city of Grand Blanc.
Local resident Timothy Jones, whose children attended a youth event at the church the previous night, described the tragedy as feeling “inevitable” given recent violence at houses of worship nationwide.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called the attack “unacceptable,” emphasizing that places of worship should be sanctuaries.
Striking nurses from a nearby hospital left their picket line to assist first responders, prioritizing human lives over their labor dispute.
Investigators are searching the suspect’s residence and reviewing cell phone records to determine a motive.
The FBI has deployed 100 agents to assist with witness interviews.
The church, led by spokesperson Doug Anderson, is cooperating with law enforcement and praying for peace and healing.