Search continues for victims after deadly Michigan church attack

GRAND BLANC, Mich. (NewsNation) — Crews are successful "recovery mode" Monday arsenic the hunt continues for further victims and grounds pursuing the deadly shooting and occurrence astatine a Sunday religion service successful Michigan.

Four radical are dormant aft a gunman drove his conveyance into the beforehand of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints successful Grand Blanc, astir 50 miles northbound of Detroit, before opening occurrence connected churchgoers, authorities said. Authorities fearfulness the decease toll could emergence arsenic they hunt debris and scorched areas of the building, wherever they judge immoderate whitethorn person been trapped.

Genesee County Sheriff Christopher Swanson urged the assemblage to enactment 1 another.

"I privation you to deliberation of those victims that person suffered, those families, the church, but much importantly, bash your part, the champion you can, wherever you can," helium said Monday successful a video message posted to societal media. "Be benignant to somebody, amusement immoderate love, marque a telephone call, and beryllium portion of the healing process. But you are protected today. I committedness you, we volition get done this. We volition overcome."

The FBI called the incidental an “act of targeted violence.”

Iraq war veteran identified as gunman successful Michigan religion shooting

Authorities said the suspect, identified arsenic 40-year-old Iraq War seasoned Thomas Jacob Sanford of Burton, Mich., exchanged gunfire with constabulary successful the backmost of the religion parking batch earlier being killed.

Investigators obtained a hunt warrant for the suspect's location and were reviewing his compartment telephone information for clues astir a imaginable motive.

What we cognize astir Michigan religion shooting victims

Two of the confirmed dormant were killed by gunfire, and the different 2 victims were discovered successful the church, according to Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye, who did not accidental however the second 2 died.

When shots were fired, members wrong the religion shielded children and moved them to safety, authorities said. At immoderate constituent during the shooting, a occurrence broke out, which the fishy is believed to person acceptable utilizing gasoline.

Michigan religion shooting an enactment of anti-Christian violence: Trump

On societal media, President Donald Trump called the incidental an enactment of anti-Christian violence: "The fishy is dead, but determination is inactive a batch to learn. This appears to beryllium yet different targeted onslaught connected Christians successful the United States of America."

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer condemned the shooting successful a statement, writing, “Violence anyplace particularly successful a spot of worship, is unacceptable.”

New York, Texas, California ramp up church security

The incidental comes astir 1 period to the time aft a shooting astatine a schoolhouse and religion successful Minneapolis, wherever a gunman killed 2 children and wounded 14 others, arsenic good arsenic 3 aged parishioners, arsenic they prayed.

Some states, specified arsenic New York and Texas, arsenic good arsenic immoderate cities successful California, person accrued constabulary beingness astatine places of worship.

NewsNation's Meg Hilling contributed to this report.