WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — An armed suspect is dead after ramming a vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township Thursday afternoon, in what officials say was a targeted attack that left 30 first responders being treated for smoke inhalation.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard confirmed the suspect drove into the building and was engaged by security. The suspect was found deceased in the vehicle.
Watch our coverage below:
No children or staff members were injured in the attack.
Authorities were called around 12:19 p.m. and arrived at the temple, located off Walnut Lake Road near Drake Road, in under five minutes.
The Associated Press reported the suspect was armed with a rifle. The Associated Press is also reporting that the Department of Homeland Security has identified the suspect as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a naturalized citizen born in Lebanon.
Authorities say the suspect was killed by security.
Bouchard said a lead member of the temple's security team was struck by the vehicle when the suspect breached the building. That person was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Sheriff Michael Bouchard provides details below:
Henry Ford Health confirmed that Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital and Henry Ford Providence Novi Hospital are caring for eight first responders.
During an evening news conference, Bouchard said 30 first responders are being treated for smoke inhalation. He said the area of the building where the incident occurred was "engulfed" and that it has not yet been determined what triggered the fire.
"It's been complicated because there's been some fire to say the least with that vehicle. We believe that individual is deceased," Bouchard said. "No kids — this is the important thing — no kids or no staff was injured whatsoever."
Watch that full press conference below:
The FBI announced 2 tiplines as part of the investigation. The digital media tipline is fbi.gov/westbloomfieldattack, and callers can also reach the bureau at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Witness accounts
Dustin Shaw, a man who was working at Temple Israel and called 911 after witnessing the suspect breach the building, spoke with us about what he saw. Shaw said he was toward the back of the building setting up for an event when he heard "a huge crash."
"So, me and my coworkers, we walk over and someone screams out 'call 911,' so I called 911 immediately and I saw someone lying on the ground and that person happened to be one of the head of security who got hit by the car," Shaw said.
Shaw said he heard gunshots ring out right after.
Watch our conversation with Dustin Shaw below:
"Obviously, the guy who drove the truck into the temple was armed, so our guy did our job, so my hat's off to him. I'm so happy that everyone made it out safe and that the children were OK and everyone got evacuated," Shaw said. "For our temple to be targeted, it makes me so sad."
Rabbi Arianna Gordon was inside Temple Israel when the attack happened.
“I am so deeply grateful to local law enforcement, to our Temple Israel security team, to our early childhood teachers,” Gordon said. “My office was pretty close to where the incident happened and so I knew almost immediately that something was going on.”
There were about 140 children inside attending day care and preschool programs.
“Every single one of those groups did exactly what they were supposed to do to ensure that all of our students who were in the building and all of our teachers got out safely,” Gordon said.
After the attack, parents who had children inside the temple were able to reunite with them at the Jewish Community Center about a mile away.
Boris Krasnow, a parent whose 1-year-old son was at the temple's day care, described the experience of waiting for information.
"It's just really surreal. I mean, you hear about this stuff all the time, but in the moment, it's strange how almost calm you are because you can't afford to panic. Just keep refreshing your phone trying to find out what's going on," Krasnow said.
Watch our conversation with Boris Krasnow below:
Krasnow said his family wasn't able to relax until after they learned the suspect was killed.
"I think the hard part was all the mixed information we were getting. At one point, we heard we were able to go get my son. We thought things were good. But then we looked it up and we didn't see that they said that they had the shooter, so it was still an active situation," Krasnow said.
A neighbor who identified himself only as Sheldon said his wife was home at the time of the attack.
"My wife was home and she was cleaning the bathroom upstairs, and she heard sirens coming in and out," Sheldon said. "She was like 'what is that?' and she heard a couple of fireworks noises. She called me and she said 'I don't know if it's gunshots or something', and then after that, I was like 'I have to go home' and I drove home and this is all that happened."
"There were so many cop cars, different cities and everything," Sheldon continued. "All my friends were texting me to see if everything was okay...I think with those two houses, they took in some kids and some teachers but the other neighbors were telling me that they were okay, so hopefully that's the case."
Watch Chopper 7 at the scene:
ATF and FBI respond
ATF Special Agent in Charge James Dier confirmed the suspect's death was consistent with what he had been told and addressed the ATF's role in the investigation.
"This is a potential mass casualty incident involving a burning vehicle, destruction to a temple, by the vehicle, as well as a rifle that was involved. So we're gonna bring our expertise to the table with our arson investigators. We've got certified arson investigators across the country — we've got five here in Michigan that are on scene right now. We've also got our certified bomb techs and our certified explosive experts on scene as well, just in case there's anything inside that vehicle. We're gonna assist the Michigan State Police and the FBI in that fire scene. We're gonna recover the firearm that was involved in this, trace it to the very last purchaser of that firearm, where it was imported from, and try to determine how this individual came into possession of it," Dier said.
Hear from the James Dier below:
Official responses
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a statement on the attack.
"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. I am hoping for everyone's safety. Thank you to law enforcement for their swift action," Whitmer said.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin also spoke with members of the press in Washington about the situation.
Watch Sen. Elissa Slotkin speak below:
Per ABC News and Scripps News, Slotkin said: "I know this place very well. Grew up not far from there. And law enforcement are still securing the scene. I'm not going to get ahead of the police. We have to listen to the warnings that they are putting out to the local community, that includes friends and family of mine who are sheltering in place and follow law enforcement. But I will just say everyone deserves the right to worship in peace. Everyone and an act of antisemitism, an act of violence, of hate, should be treated to the fullest extent of the law. And I'm so sick of another one of these incidents all the time in my community, across the country. And I just -- I think we need to acknowledge that we have a problem, and I'm just sick about it. So we will keep people posted. More will come out. We will learn about the intentions of this madman. But in the meantime, this is very personal, and I am -- I'm just so sick of communities of all kinds, not being able to worship in peace and this time the Jewish community is again on the receiving end of abhorrent violence and I'm just — I'm over it."
Henry Ford Health released a statement on the first responders being treated at its hospitals.
"The emergency medicine teams at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital and Henry Ford Providence Novi Hospital are currently caring for eight first responders following this afternoon's incident at Temple Israel. Further requests for updates on their conditions should be directed to law enforcement. Our hearts go out to the community at Temple Israel and anyone who is impacted by this this frightening event. There is absolutely no place for violence in our community," the statement read.
The Jewish Federation of Detroit released an updated statement saying that while a large security presence remained at Temple Israel, all other Jewish organizations were no longer required to be in lockdown or lockout protocol.
"We ask community members to refrain from speculation or sharing unconfirmed information - especially on social media," the statement read.
Temple Israel also posted a statement on its Facebook page. It reads:
"Dear Temple Israel Family,
"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.
"As you have no doubt heard, Temple Israel was the victim of a terrorist gunman who was confronted and neutralized by our security personnel who are truly heroes. Our teachers followed their training and kept the children safe and calm.
"We are deeply and humbly grateful to our teachers, staff, security, law enforcement, and Shenendoah Country Club that welcomed us, fed us, and sheltered our staff, teachers, children, and parents. What incredible neighbors we have. What incredible police force we have
This note is coming to you before we know anything about our future programming or services, or any investigation. We wanted you to know we are safe, and we love you all."
Michigan State Police said that troopers are increasing patrols at other places of worship in the district. Dearborn police also said they are increasing patrols around schools and houses of worship as a proactive measure, stressing there is no known threat at this time.
There was a shelter in place for Walnut Lake and Drake that has been lifted.
Last week, we spoke with Temple Israel Rabbi Josh Bennett amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Bennett said the synagogue was ramping up security at that time.
Watch the full interview with Temple Israel Rabbi Josh Bennett below:
People are asked to continue to avoid the area. Police agencies are also responding to other temples in the area to provide security out of an abundance of caution.
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