US shooter kills at least four at Mormon church in Michigan

Two additional bodies were recovered from a Mormon church in Michigan that a gunman attacked and set aflame, police in the northern US state said, bringing the total death toll to four.

Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye told a press conference that "a couple additional bodies" had been recovered during an ongoing search through debris at the burned-down church.

"So that makes our total victim count up to four victims," he said.

The incident occurred at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, about 80 km north of Detroit.

Authorities said the building was also on fire, though it was not immediately clear if the blaze was connected to the shooting.

Police confirmed there was no ongoing threat to the public but did not release details on the number of victims or their conditions.

Emergency crews responded to the scene, and an investigation is underway.

'Epidemic of violence'

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose leader had died the previous night aged 101, called Sunday's attack a "tragic act of violence."

"Places of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection. We pray for peace and healing for all involved," it wrote on X.

Founded in 1830, the Mormon church considers itself a Christian body, but bases its doctrines on the Book of Mormon, a text its followers say contains a fuller version of the words of Jesus Christ than that recorded in the Bible.

Political divisions have grown even deeper in the wake of the attacks, with Trump launching a campaign to target left-wing groups he accuses of being "domestic terrorists."

In his Truth Social post Sunday, US President Donald Trump wrote: "THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!"

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Source: TRT