A man drove a truck into a synagogue in Michigan, according to authorities. The suspected attacker is dead and a guard was injured.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
A synagogue was attacked today in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Temple Israel was rammed by a vehicle almost 30 miles northwest of Detroit. The suspected attacker is dead, and a guard was injured. Alex McLenon of member station WDET in Detroit has been covering the story and joins us now. Hi, Alex.
ALEX MCLENON, BYLINE: Hi. How are you doing?
CHANG: Hi. So I know the investigation is only in very early stages right now, but what have authorities said about what happened here, exactly?
MCLENON: Well, the synagogue, like all Jewish places of worship, did have its own security in place at the building. Although the incident is still pretty fresh, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard did share some details. He says they engaged the threat, which apparently started with the suspect driving his truck and ramming into the building. Shots were fired, and there was smoke apparently from the vehicle. So we know that there was one suspect who is dead. Law enforcement say they are not looking for a second at the time.
The synagogue was also operating a school, and parents rushed to a nearby reunification center. In a statement posted on Facebook, the synagogue said all 140 students and their early childhood center staff were all accounted for and safe, and we don’t believe there were any major injuries inside the temple at this time. Here is Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard.
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MIKE BOUCHARD: So we have no victims, other than one of the lead security people was hit by the car and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
CHANG: OK, so the security guard was injured. Thank God, most everyone else was OK. But authorities say the area seemed to be prepared. Can you talk about that a little bit?
MCLENON: Yeah. Well, southeast Michigan is a very diverse area. Local law enforcement say when tension is high globally – for instance, like right now in the Middle East – law enforcement here are also on alert. It should be noted that the FBI’s Detroit office says they carried out an active shooter drill at the Temple Israel about six weeks ago. They say the lessons learned there were helpful today.
And this area is no stranger to this kind of event. West Bloomfield, where Temple Israel is, is about an hour from Grand Blanc, where only about six months ago a shooter crashed a vehicle into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Mormon congregation. In that instance, the attacker was able to open fire, and there were several fatalities. So for people in the area, this event in West Bloomfield will remind them a little bit of what happened there, both starting with a vehicle driving into a house of worship.
CHANG: Well, I know the governor has responded, and other officials have called this a horrible incident. What have you personally been hearing from people in the community?
MCLENON: Well, people are understandably a bit shook up by this. Benny Greenwald is a rabbi at the Friendship Circle, which is not far away from Temple Israel.
BENNY GREENWALD: What emotions. It’s been a whirl. It’s been a roller coaster of, obviously, shock that this could happen here. But at the same time, a strong resolve, you know, after that initial shock is, what does this demand of us? What does this demand of me, you and every other citizen is how to bring more goodness and kindness to the world.
MCLENON: I will say, for how unsettling events like this can be, there’s also a strong sense of community and togetherness here. I talked to one lady who lives a few towns over who said she pulled off the road to give her prayers and support, and she described herself as a nondenominational Christian. There is a definite strong sense of community rallying together here.
CHANG: And have authorities said anything about the identity of the shooter or anything at all about motive?
MCLENON: Nope, not yet. We do not know anything about the shooter’s identity or motive at this time.
CHANG: That is Alex McLenon from WDET. Thank you so much for joining us.
MCLENON: Anytime.
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