AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Authorities now say four people were killed and eight wounded in the massacre on Sunday morning at a worship service at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Officials say the accused shooter also used some sort of accelerant to start a fire in the church. Here's township Police Chief William Renye.
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WILLIAM RENYE: Evil. This was an evil act of violence. That's exactly what this was. And this is not Grand Blanc. This does not define Grand Blanc and who we are.
CHANG: Joining us now with more is NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose. Hi, Jason.
JASON DEROSE, BYLINE: Hello.
CHANG: So I understand that you're near what remains of the church there. What are you seeing right now?
DEROSE: Well, authorities are using the parking lot and the grounds of a church right next door - a Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall - as a staging area for the investigation. They're neighbors to this LDS property that was attacked. The road is closed for about a quarter mile on either side of the church, with yellow caution tape strung for blocks and blocks. In part, that's because authorities have been looking for possible improvised explosive devices. You can see just a tad of the burned building through the many, many law enforcement vehicles here from where I'm sitting - ATF, FBI, sheriffs' vehicles, police. And in the air, Ailsa, when the breeze is just right, you can smell the smoke from yesterday's blaze that burned down this church.
CHANG: Still lingering. Well, what is the latest information on the victims so far?
DEROSE: Authorities say five people total are dead, and that includes the alleged shooter, and there are eight people injured. Dr. Michael Danic is the medical chief of staff for Henry Ford Genesys Hospital nearby. He says victims range in age from just 6 years old to 78 years old. The injuries include both gunshots and smoke inhalation. Two of the victims remain in critical condition. The doctor said the 6-year-old is not one of those in critical condition but was treated and transferred to another medical facility. Dr. Danic said some medical residents from his own hospital are actually also LDS members who were at the church yesterday morning.
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MICHAEL DANIC: Not only were they victims, they were also first responders. They were heroes. Those on the scene were absolute heroes, going in and out of the fire to drag people out, helping each other take care of the victims on the scene.
DEROSE: And Ailsa, authorities have not yet released the victims' names, but they say everyone has been accounted for.
CHANG: And Jason, can you talk about, like, how people from the community are responding to all of this now?
DEROSE: Well, you know, unlike other shootings, where I've seen piles of flowers at the site of the attack - I'm thinking just last month when we talked in Minneapolis.
CHANG: Yeah.
DEROSE: As of midmorning today, only really - well, actually, I'm looking right now, just, like, three or four bouquets here in front of the church. And perhaps that's because it's harder to get to this site. It's - there aren't really sidewalks around here. There have been several attacks on houses of worship, though, in recent months. And something that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said today really struck me.
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GRETCHEN WHITMER: This might be a familiar pain, but it hurts all the same every time. We cannot keep living our lives like this.
DEROSE: Governor Whitmer is urging calm, and she cautions people not to jump to conclusions about motives for the attack.
CHANG: And where does the investigation stand as of now?
DEROSE: Well, the FBI is calling this a targeted act of violence. And while the rhetoric from the White House yesterday and today has been that this was specifically an anti-Mormon attack, authorities here are not willing to say that yet. They've identified Thomas Jacob Sanford as the alleged shooter who rammed the car into the LDS church building. And they said the building was essentially burned to the ground now.
CHANG: That is NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Thank you so much, Jason.
DEROSE: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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