by
Smoke at Temple Israel (Screenshot from WDIV video)
Updated: 2:37 p..m. Thursday: Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard confirmed that the gunman was killed and that the synagogue security engaged in gunfire.
He said the gunman drove through doors into the hallway of the building. He said no children or staff were hurt, but a security officer was hit by the car and knocked unconscious. He is expected to be ok.
He said there multiple security officers in the building.
Sources tell CNN that there appeared to be a large amount of explosives in the back of the vehicle, and the suspect's body was burned in the car.
Temple Israel issued a statement on Facebook:
"Everyone is safe. All 140 students in our Susan and Harold Loss Early Childhood Center, our amazing staff, our courageous teachers, and our heroic security personnel are all accounted for and safe."
Updated: 2:06 p.m. Thursday: CNN reports that the gunman is dead.
The Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard had earlier said that synagogue security had "engaged" in gunfire with the suspect.
------------------------------
From Earlier Thursday
A car crashed into the Temple Israel synagogue at 5725 Walnut Lake Road in West Bloomfield on Thursday, and afterward, shots were fired, WDIV reports.
To date, there are no reports of injuries. It's unclear if the suspect was wounded.
Police sources suspect the car intentionally crashed into the building and then caught fire. The synagogue is known to have armed security.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard in remarks to the media said that synagogue security "engaged" the suspect with gunfire.
He said "we don't have that person in custody."
He said parents directed to pick up their children at the Jewish Community Center on Maple Road in West Bloomfield. The community has a large Jewish population.
Law enforcement at the local, state and federal level, included the FBI and ATF, have converged on the scene in mass.
Temple Israel, which has the largest Jewish congregation in Michigan, with thousands of members, also has a popular preschool and daycare, which attracts children from a wide area.
“We have been alerted by the West Bloomfield Police Department of a police situation in the community,” the West Bloomfield School District said in a statement.
There is no word yet if the attack is connected in anyway to the Iran war or if it was a lone wolf acting independently from any organization.
It was not the first incident at a suburban Detroit synagogue.
Last year, Hassan Chokr, 38, of Dearborn, was sentenced in Detroit federal court to 2 years and 10 months in prison after going on an antisemitic tirade outside Temple Beth El in Bloomfield Township in December 2022.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a statement:
"I am tracking reports of an active shooting at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. We are working with Michigan State Police to get more information. This is heartbreaking. Michigan's Jewish community should be able to live and practice their faith in peace. Antisemitism and violence have no place in Michigan."
State Rep. Noah Arbit told CNN that he had his bar mitzvah at the temple. He said he works on issues of hate crimes and domestic terrorism, and that this would happen at "my synagogue in my own community is simply my worst nightmare."
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib issued a statement on X:
"The reports coming out of West Bloomfield are horrifying. I am praying for the safety of everyone at Temple Israel. No one should face violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship."
Sen. Elissa Slotkin posted:
"All communities deserve the right to worship safely. All communities. And acts of terror and antisemitism must be condemned and dealt with to the fullest extent of the law."
Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed stated on X:
"Horrified to hear the reports of an active shooter at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield. Please stay safe if you’re in the area. This kind of violence has no place in our communities."
Congressman John James on X:
"Synagogues, churches, and all houses of worship must remain sanctuaries of peace, prayer, learning, and community, never targets of violence or fear. We reject antisemitism and every form of hate, standing united in faith and resolve to protect Michigan's sacred spaces and every community from evil."
