From Mother Emanuel to Grand Blanc, places of worship targeted by mass shootings Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY September 29, 2025 at 11:59 PM 0 People in prayer again became the target of violence on Sept.
- - From Mother Emanuel to Grand Blanc, places of worship targeted by mass shootings
Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY September 29, 2025 at 11:59 PM
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People in prayer again became the target of violence on Sept. 28 when a man rammed a pickup truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, opened fire, and set the church ablaze, killing at least four people and injuring several others, authorities said.
The incident is the latest in a long series of attacks on places of worship across the United States, including the deadly August shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis.
A Voice of America report found that mass shootings at places of worship "have become more frequent" since the mid-2000s – committed, it said, "by perpetrators with a history of racism, anti-Semitism, anti-Christianity and Islamophobia, with ties to white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups."
A firefighter walks down the street where emergency services are responding to a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sept. 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc Township.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/i8HpwbI class=caas-img data-headline="Scenes in Michigan as police, community respond to Mormon church shooting and fire" data-caption="
A firefighter walks down the street where emergency services are responding to a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sept. 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc Township.
">A firefighter walks down the street where emergency services are responding to a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sept. 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc Township.
" src=https://ift.tt/i8HpwbI class=caas-img>
An officer motions to vehicles on a street where emergency services respond to a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sept. 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc Township.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/SaCLw34 class=caas-img data-headline="Scenes in Michigan as police, community respond to Mormon church shooting and fire" data-caption="
An officer motions to vehicles on a street where emergency services respond to a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sept. 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc Township.
">An officer motions to vehicles on a street where emergency services respond to a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sept. 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc Township.
" src=https://ift.tt/SaCLw34 class=caas-img>Family members of people in attendance at this morning's service look on as emergency services respond to a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sept. 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc Township.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/XWOaSRw class=caas-img data-headline="Scenes in Michigan as police, community respond to Mormon church shooting and fire" data-caption="
Family members of people in attendance at this morning's service look on as emergency services respond to a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sept. 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc Township.
">Family members of people in attendance at this morning's service look on as emergency services respond to a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sept. 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc Township.
" src=https://ift.tt/XWOaSRw class=caas-img>A police officer tapes off an area on the street of a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sept. 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc Township.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/JPGN6Yw class=caas-img data-headline="Scenes in Michigan as police, community respond to Mormon church shooting and fire" data-caption="
A police officer tapes off an area on the street of a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sept. 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc Township.
">A police officer tapes off an area on the street of a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sept. 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc Township.
" src=https://ift.tt/JPGN6Yw class=caas-img>
1 / 23Scenes in Michigan as police, community respond to Mormon church shooting and fireA silver truck is seen outside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as local authorities work to contain a fire on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025.
Here are some of the mass shootings that have shattered religious communities in the last decade:
Aug. 27: Annunciation Catholic Church
A month before the shooting in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, terror struck at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, where church parishioners were gunned down in a shooting that left two children dead and more than a dozen others injured.
Prosecutors said that the evidence collected from the investigation includes hundreds of pages of writing in which the shooter, identified as Robin Westman, 23, details plans for the attack, praises other mass shooters, and expresses "hate towards almost every group imaginable."
Grand Blanc mass shooting among a dozen in Michigan this year
Families reunite outside the police barricades after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Two children were killed Wednesday and at least 17 people were injured when a gunman fired through the windows of a Minneapolis Catholic church toward young people worshipping at a Mass, authorities said.Families reunite outside the police barricades after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/KIOD781 class=caas-img data-headline="Gunfire erupts at Minneapolis Catholic school. See the scene." data-caption="
Two children were killed Wednesday and at least 17 people were injured when a gunman fired through the windows of a Minneapolis Catholic church toward young people worshipping at a Mass, authorities said.Families reunite outside the police barricades after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
">Two children were killed Wednesday and at least 17 people were injured when a gunman fired through the windows of a Minneapolis Catholic church toward young people worshipping at a Mass, authorities said.Families reunite outside the police barricades after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
" src=https://ift.tt/KIOD781 class=caas-img>Police and first responders work at the scene of a shooting near Annunciation Church and Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minneosta, on August 27, 2025.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/VLhBk4z class=caas-img data-headline="Gunfire erupts at Minneapolis Catholic school. See the scene." data-caption="
Police and first responders work at the scene of a shooting near Annunciation Church and Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minneosta, on August 27, 2025.
">Police and first responders work at the scene of a shooting near Annunciation Church and Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minneosta, on August 27, 2025.
" src=https://ift.tt/VLhBk4z class=caas-img>
Police and first responders work at the scene of a shooting near Annunciation Church and Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minneosta, on August 27, 2025.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/HSIFbau class=caas-img data-headline="Gunfire erupts at Minneapolis Catholic school. See the scene." data-caption="
Police and first responders work at the scene of a shooting near Annunciation Church and Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minneosta, on August 27, 2025.
">Police and first responders work at the scene of a shooting near Annunciation Church and Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minneosta, on August 27, 2025.
" src=https://ift.tt/HSIFbau class=caas-img>Officers set up barriers after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. August 27, 2025.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/mDWX9d7 class=caas-img data-headline="Gunfire erupts at Minneapolis Catholic school. See the scene." data-caption="
Officers set up barriers after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. August 27, 2025.
">Officers set up barriers after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. August 27, 2025.
" src=https://ift.tt/mDWX9d7 class=caas-img>Police and medical teams work the scene after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. August 27, 2025.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/PWJuFve class=caas-img data-headline="Gunfire erupts at Minneapolis Catholic school. See the scene." data-caption="
Police and medical teams work the scene after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. August 27, 2025.
">Police and medical teams work the scene after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. August 27, 2025.
" src=https://ift.tt/PWJuFve class=caas-img>A father and daughter walk towards their vehicles after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/CV58tKi class=caas-img data-headline="Gunfire erupts at Minneapolis Catholic school. See the scene." data-caption="
A father and daughter walk towards their vehicles after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
">A father and daughter walk towards their vehicles after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
" src=https://ift.tt/CV58tKi class=caas-img>Families and loved ones reunite outside the police barricades after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/Gz1HADL class=caas-img data-headline="Gunfire erupts at Minneapolis Catholic school. See the scene." data-caption="
Families and loved ones reunite outside the police barricades after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
">Families and loved ones reunite outside the police barricades after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
" src=https://ift.tt/Gz1HADL class=caas-img>Families and loved ones walk outside the police barricades after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/rUbWoCc class=caas-img data-headline="Gunfire erupts at Minneapolis Catholic school. See the scene." data-caption="
Families and loved ones walk outside the police barricades after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
">Families and loved ones walk outside the police barricades after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
" src=https://ift.tt/rUbWoCc class=caas-img>An officer with the ATF opens his trunk while setting up outside the shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/1LQnW8q class=caas-img data-headline="Gunfire erupts at Minneapolis Catholic school. See the scene." data-caption="
An officer with the ATF opens his trunk while setting up outside the shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
">An officer with the ATF opens his trunk while setting up outside the shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
" src=https://ift.tt/1LQnW8q class=caas-img>Families and loved ones reunite outside the police barricades after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
" data-src=https://ift.tt/mxGOg5o class=caas-img data-headline="Gunfire erupts at Minneapolis Catholic school. See the scene." data-caption="
Families and loved ones reunite outside the police barricades after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
">Families and loved ones reunite outside the police barricades after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
" src=https://ift.tt/mxGOg5o class=caas-img>
1 / 12Gunfire erupts at Minneapolis Catholic school. See the scene.
Two children were killed Wednesday and at least 17 people were injured when a gunman fired through the windows of a Minneapolis Catholic church toward young people worshipping at a Mass, authorities said.Families reunite outside the police barricades after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
July 13: Richmond Road Baptist Church
Two people were killed and two others were wounded on July 13 at Richmond Road Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. Police shot and killed the suspect. Preliminary reports indicated the suspect "had a connection to the individuals at the church," local police said.
June 23: CrossPointe Community Church
Police shot and killed a man who opened fire outside a church filled with worshipers in Wayne, Michigan, in June. The man, 31-year-old Brian Browning, attempted to bust into CrossPointe Community Church during a Sunday service, but the church's security team intervened, according to police.
June 16, 2022: St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
Three people were killed at a church in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, when 71-year-old Robert Findlay Smith opened fire. The motive was never determined.
April 27, 2019: Congregation Chabad
On the last day of Passover in 2019, a gunman opened fire at a temple in Poway, California, near San Diego, killing one person and injuring three others. Federal prosecutors said the gunman, John Timothy Earnest, "acted violently with hatred toward others ... this was planned."
In December 2021, Earnest was sentenced in federal court to life plus 30 years in prison for his crimes.
March 15, 2019: Christchurch mosque shootings
Attacks on two New Zealand mosques killed 51 people on March 15, 2019, in what was the country's deadliest shooting in history. In a manifesto, the shooter expressed white nationalist and anti-Muslim beliefs. The attack inspired other mass shooters, including the perpetrator of the Poway, California, synagogue shooting.
Oct. 27, 2018: Tree of Life synagogue
The October 2018 attack at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue killed 11 and wounded six others, including many older adults. It is the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history, according to the American Jewish Committee.
Robert Bowers was found guilty on 63 criminal counts, including 11 counts each of obstruction of free exercise of religion resulting in death and hate crimes resulting in death.
Names of the victims in the mass shooting at Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue are pictured Oct. 27, 2018 at a memorial outside of the synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Robert Bowers was convicted in the mass shooting that left 11 people dead.Nov. 5, 2017: First Baptist Church
A deadly rampage at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, killed 26 people and wounded 20 more in 2017. Victims of the shooting ranged in age from 18 months to 77 years. The shooting was motivated by a domestic dispute, authorities said at the time.
June 17, 2015: Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church
A shooting by a white supremacist at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, rocked the nation in 2015. Nine people were killed during a bible study night.
In 2017, the gunman, Dylann Roof, became the first person in the United States sentenced to death for a federal hate crime.
Contributing: Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY; Reuters
Karissa Waddick is a reporter on USA TODAY's Nation Desk. She can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: From SC to Michigan: Churches have become targets for mass violence.
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