Hours after fatal shooting in North Carolina, people shot at in Michigan
Grand Blanc: Multiple people have been shot at a Mormon church in Michigan and the shooter is down, police said Sunday.
The shooting occurred at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, about 80 kilometers north of Detroit, local police said in a social media post. The church was on fire.
Police said there is no ongoing threat to the public. Authorities have not released details on the victims’ conditions. The church, circled by a parking lot and a large lawn, is located near residential areas and a Jehovah’s Witness church in Grand Blanc. The community of roughly 8,000 people is just outside Flint.
Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement that her heart is breaking for the Grand Blanc community. “Violence anywhere especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable,” she said.
The shooting occurred the morning after Russell M. Nelson, the oldest-ever president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died at 101.
The incident was reported hours after another shooting at a picturesque, seaside town in North Carolina that left three people dead and five others injured. The police on Sunday said it was was a “highly premeditated” attack.
Police Chief Todd Coring said at a press conference Sunday that Nigel Edge of Oak Island is accused of opening fire from a boat into a crowd gathered at American Fish Company in Southport. Coring said the location was “targeted” but did not elaborate.
The shooting, which erupted about 9:30 pm Saturday, took place along a popular stretch of bars and restaurants in the historic port town about 48 kilometers south of Wilmington. Investigators said Edge piloted a small boat close to shore, stopped briefly, fired, and then sped away.
Edge is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He could face additional charges, Coring said.
“We understand this suspect identifies as a combat veteran. He self-identifies. Injured in the line of duty is what he’s saying, he suffers from PTSD,” Coring said, referring to post-traumatic stress disorder.
Edge is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday, District Attorney Jon David said. He is being held without bond.
Among the five people hospitalized with injuries, at least one “is now clinging for their life,” David said.
It was not immediately known whether Edge has an attorney to speak on his behalf. No attorney was listed on court documents.
Roughly half an hour after the shooting, a US Coast Guard crew spotted a person matching the suspect’s description pulling a boat from the water at a public ramp on Oak Island. The person was detained and turned over to Southport police for questioning, officials said.
Investigators from multiple agencies — including the State Bureau of Investigation and the Coast Guard — remained on the water and at the scene Sunday collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses.
Officials did not immediately release the names of those killed.
