Written by Tanya Terry, with photos by Tanya Terry
Featured photo: Councilwoman Tonya Burns speaks as video footage is shown of a recent firebombing at St. Mark Baptist Church
At approximately 2 a.m., on August 30 of this year, video footage shows an individual entered from behind Flint’s St. Mark Baptist Church with gasoline cans and a metal object, broke a window, started a fire and left. Now, the community is being asked to help identify the individual or individuals involved and bring justice to the situation.
“We do believe he worked with other accomplices,” stated Councilwoman Tonya Burns. “It’s not rational that a person-or a single person-would walk and carry three gasoline cans to a site.”
Burns further stated the individual who has been alleged as a suspect is believed to have mental health issues.
“What we want is his arrest to lead to a prosecution- that he is taken off the streets,” Burns said. “He is dangerous.”
According to Burns, there were three gasoline cans left at the site, and one was in a garbage bag in the field. She said the church has been working with the City of Flint Police Department, the Michigan State Police (MSP) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Burns stated the individual suspected of the firebombing has been arrested because of unrelated crimes since the firebombing. She said he was released after being arrested about three weeks ago and that it was noted he had burn marks on his hands at that time.
“I had no type of communication, never seen the person before that I’m aware of,” said Pastor Kevin Thompson of St. Mark.
Thompson stated he had been told the individual had come to the church the Sunday before, but service was over.
“He said he wanted to see the pastor,” said Thompson, who said congregants told the man to come back to church “next Sunday.”
Thompson called St. Mark a “beacon of light to the community.” He pointed out that the church has provided food and mental health services to community members.
“It has been a long, hard road,” said Thompson.”It has been depressing, but we find joy when there is prayer in our city.”
The same individual who firebombed St. Mark is believed to have made threats against the Peoples Church of Flint and its pastor, Reverend Matthew Hogue-Smith.
Hogue-Smith stated: “This cannot be the normal in Flint. This cannot be the normal worldwide.”
He added: “On or around the 22nd of August, we received a threat by our Facebook that an alleged person, who used their own Facebook page said that they were going to bring an AR-15 to our church and cut the church and myself.”
Hogue-Smith said that police told him: “Death threats are common.”
About a week later, the firebombing happened at St. Mark.
“This is above politics,” Hogue-Smith said. “This is above whatever side you are on. This is a human issue. This is our churches under attack.”
Hogue-Smith pointed out that just weeks later, a man rammed his truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, began shooting congregants and is believed to have set the building on fire. That incident resulted in four church members dying from either gunshot wounds or smoke inhalation, the shooter being killed in a shootout with police and eight additional injuries.
Hogue-Smith stated he has an active personal protection order against the individual alleged to both firebomb St. Mark and threaten him and his church.
“Yet, this person continues to stalk me,” he said.
Hogue-Smith said that, unlike Thompson, he did have previous interaction with the person suspected of committing crimes against both churches. He said attendees to his church had given the suspected individual bus passes and the suspected individual had self disclosed that he had mental health issues.
The St. Mark sanctuary recently reopened for services, although classrooms that were firebombed still require renovation.
Anyone with information on the firebombing incident at St. Mark, or the person of interest is being asked by community leaders to contact Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan Anthony Vance at 810-766-5177, or 810-348-1610
