Gunman dead after attack on Michigan synagogue
Smoke rises from the building after the Michigan State Police reported an active shooting incident at the Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan, US, March 12, 2026 in a still image from video. Photo: Reuters
An unidentified shooter was killed on Thursday after exchanging gunfire with security in an attack on a synagogue in the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, police said.
Police said the gunman was dead following the attack on the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield.
They did not immediately confirm the death of the assailant but said no one else appeared to have been hurt.
Active Shooting:
03/12 at 12:30 p m
Location:
5725 Walnut Lake Road (Temple Isreal)
Synopsis:
The Michigan State Police is aware of an active shooting incident that is ongoing in West Bloomfield.
We are asking for community members to stay away from the area to allow for police… pic.twitter.com/p3FIbU9n4KLaw enforcement officers flooded the area soon after the incident, amid heightened tension nationwide over the US-Israeli war against Iran.
"At least one individual came to the temple," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told reporters. "Security saw him, engaged him in gunfire."
"Nobody at the moment has been confirmed to be hurt except potentially the shooter," Bouchard said. "We're looking to see if it was more than one person."
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer condemned the attack on the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, a northwest suburb of Detroit. "This is heartbreaking," she said. "Michigan's Jewish community should be able to live and practise their faith in peace."
"Antisemitism and violence have no place in Michigan," she said.
The sheriff said law enforcement had been on high alert since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran nearly two weeks ago.
"We've been talking for two weeks about the potential, sadly, of this happening," Bouchard said.
"So there was no lack of preparation.
"All Jewish facilities in the area are going to have a lot of extra presence around it until we figure this out," the sheriff said.
Television images showed a massive law enforcement response in the area around the synagogue. Smoke could be seen billowing from what appeared to be a fire in the building.
Local media reported that the assailant had first rammed a car into the synagogue.
The Jewish Federation of Detroit said Jewish agencies were in precautionary lockdown.
"We ask community members to stay away from the area at this time."