ROYAL OAK TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — An unknown suspect fired multiple shots at the front door of a Royal Oak Township church just after noon on Thursday, and the shooting is now under investigation by Michigan State Police.
No one was inside God’s Grace Baptist Church near 8 Mile Road and Wyoming Avenue when the shooting occurred, and no injuries were reported. The suspect remains at large.
Watch Brett Kast's video report below:
Pastor Dwight Mahone left the building about an hour before receiving a call that shots were fired at the church. He returned to find state police surrounding the building.
"I was kinda shocked. I said 'now who would shoot the church up?'" Mahone said.
According to Mahone, surveillance video shows the suspect pulling up directly in front of the church and firing shots at the door. The motive remains unknown.
Mahone showed the damage left behind, including shattered glass and multiple bullet holes.
"You had a bullet go right through there," Mahone said while pointing out the bullet holes. "It could've been worse. Just thank God there was no one in here when the shooting started."
The church, which has a Ferndale mailing address, was empty at the time. The incident follows a trend of recent attacks targeting places of worship in Michigan.
"These the times we living in. It’s not just happening over here in Ferndale, it’s everywhere," Mahone said.
In response to attacks at churches in Wayne and Grand Blanc and an attack at a synagogue in West Bloomfield, state police along with county and local law enforcement agencies have offered increased training for religious institutions. Michigan State Police held a training session in metro Detroit a few months ago after the attack in Grand Blanc.
"Education's the key for you to be able to develop a plan to keep you and the people of your place of worship safe," Michigan State Police Col. James Grady II told us back in December.
Watch our report from December below:
Volunteers arrived at the church to board up the shattered front door. Mahone said Sunday services will continue as planned, but he hopes the suspect is caught before then.
"We want to come in here Sunday knowing the suspect is apprehended, so we can have worship service freely without people turning around looking who's coming in the back door and side door and stuff like that," Mahone said. "Evidently, the enemy doesn't like what we're doing over here, but we're going to keep doing it because my Bible teach us let nothing separate you from the love of God," Mahone said.
Michigan State Police ask anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.
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