One dead, nine injured in shooting at a church in Michigan

The suspect is also dead, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said on Sunday, Al Jazeera reported.

“There are multiple victims, and the shooter is down. There is no threat to the public at this time. The church is actively on fire,” the Grand Blanc Township Police Department said in a post on Facebook on Sunday, urging people to avoid the area.

Smoke billowed from the building as firefighters sprayed the blaze with water while fire trucks and emergency vehicles were parked nearby, footage on social media showed.

Further details were not immediately available.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer condemned the shooting in a statement on Sunday, adding that her heart was breaking for the Grand Blanc community. “Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable,” she said.

US President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the “horrendous” shooting.

“The suspect is dead, but there is still a lot to learn,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform, as he encouraged the American public to pray for the victims and their families.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is informally known as the Mormons. Grand Blanc, a town of 7,700 people, is located about 100km (60 miles) northwest of Detroit.

The incident in Michigan came the day after the death of the 101-year-old Mormon leader Russell Nelson.

MNA