GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Mich. – The ATF is bringing in its National Response Team to help with the investigation into the Grand Blanc Township church attack.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives activated the team to help local, state, and federal authorities in the aftermath of the attack.
At 10:25 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, a 40-year-old Burton man drove his pickup truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, police said.
The man got out of the truck with an assault rifle and fired shots before setting the building on fire, according to authorities. He was killed by law enforcement in the parking lot.
Four people were killed and eight were injured, not counting the attacker.
The ATF’s National Response Team is described as "an elite team comprised of highly trained investigative experts, with state-of-the-art equipment, specializing in fire, explosives and bombing investigations."
This team can be deployed anywhere in the United States.
It’s made up of special agents, certified fire investigators, fire protection engineers, chemists, explosive enforcement officers, certified explosives specialists, bomb technicians, and others.
They’re expected to arrive at the church Monday. Their primary responsibility will be to lead the investigation into the fire -- analyzing, processing, and documenting the scene and finding the cause of the fire.
“On Sunday, a place of worship -- a sanctuary meant for peace, prayer, and community -- was shattered by violence,” said ATF Detroit Field Division Special Agent in Charge James Deir. “ATF is here with every resource we have to uncover the truth about this horrific attack and help our community find a path forward.”
This is the 938th time the National Response Team has been deployed since its inception in 1978, including the 19th this year.
The quick response is designed to make sure investigators can preserve evidence that’s important to determining the cause of the fire.
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