At least four victims have died and eight others were injured after a shooter opened fire at and set fire to a Mormon church some 50 mi. north of Detroit Sunday morning.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]
Hundreds of people were attending service at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Mich., when a man rammed the vehicle he was driving through the church’s front doors, stepped out of the car, and opened fire.
Police have since shot and killed the suspect, and they’ve stated that there is no current active threat to the local community.
U.S. politicians, including President Donald Trump, condemned the shooting. Trump posted on Truth Social that he had been briefed on the incident: “This appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America.” The President stated that the FBI will lead a federal investigation.
“THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!” he added.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, an online database of gun-related violence, this is the U.S.’s 323rd mass shooting, defined as an incident where a minimum of four victims were shot—either injured or killed—not including any shooter, of 2025.
In a statement posted on X, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said her “heart is breaking” for the Grand Blanc community and that they will continue to monitor the situation. She added: “Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable.”
Here’s what to know about the shooting.
What happened?
Across several press conferences on Sunday, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye told reporters that around 10:25 a.m., a 40-year-old suspect rammed through the Mormon church in Grand Blanc, stepped out of a four-door pickup, and began firing.
Officers immediately responded to the scene and “engaged in gunfire” with the suspect, Renye said, eventually “neutralizing” him in the church’s parking lot.
Renye said that in the course of the attack, the suspect also “deliberately” set fire to the church. Authorities described him as using an “accelerant,” specifically gasoline, to light the church on fire.
None of the victims has been publicly identified. Renye added that the burned-down church has not yet been cleared and that authorities are working to find additional bodies.
What do we know so far about the shooter?
Renye identified the suspect as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, who lived in neighboring Burton.
Local media outlet Clarkston News previously described Sanford, who went by the name “Jake,” as a 2004 graduate of nearby Goodrich High School. A 2007 article reported Sanford had a “stellar” military career, serving in the Marines in Okinawa, Japan, as well as Iraq. (U.S. flags and an Iraq veteran license plate adorned the vehicle Sanford rammed into the church.)
Records the U.S. Marine Corps gave to multiple media outlets state that Sanford served four years in the Marines from June 2004 to June 2008 and rose to the rank of sergeant while in service. Before leaving the Marines, he joined Operation Iraqi Freedom from August 2007 to March 2008. A spokesman said that Sanford worked as an organizational automotive mechanic and vehicle recovery operator.
CNN also reported that a dormant 2015 GoFundMe page showed Sanford’s son was born with a rare genetic disorder. Clarkston News reported in 2015 that Sanford’s son, with his then-fiancée, had congenital hyperinsulinism—a life-threatening disease which, according to the Congenital Hyperinsulinism International organization, is the “most frequent cause of severe, persistent hypoglycemia in newborns and children.”
“I spent four years in the Marine Corps and was in Iraq, and this is still the most unique thing to deal with,” Sanford told the news outlet then.
Sanford got married in 2016, the New York Times reported.
Ryan Lopez, a former high school classmate and fellow Marine, described Sanford to the Times as a typical “country kid” and a hunting enthusiast. Lopez said he last saw Sanford at a gym in nearby Davison a few weeks earlier, not spotting any red flags. “He was happy to see me, he just seemed normal,” he told the Times.
How is the investigation moving forward?
A motive has not been determined, but FBI acting special agent in charge Reuben Coleman said the agency is investigating the incident as an “act of targeted violence.”
Doug Andersen, a spokesperson for the church, said in a statement that they are “in communication with local law enforcement” amid the ongoing probe.
“Places of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection,” Andersen said. “We pray for peace and healing for all involved.”
The attack happened a day after Russell Nelson, the Mormon church’s president, died at 101. Speaking to ABC News, an unnamed source briefed on the investigation said they are investigating whether Nelson’s death is linked to the timing of the shooting in Grand Blanc.
State police also told reporters in a press conference that after the shooting, they responded to and cleared several bomb threats at other nearby locations—some of which are churches.
A local TV station reported that three improvised explosive devices were found in Sanford’s pickup. A state police bomb squad visited Sanford’s Burton home to scan for more explosives.
How have people reacted so far?
The Grand Blanc Mormon church shooting is the latest shooting incident involving places of worship in the U.S. In August, a shooter opened fire at a Catholic church and school during Mass, which left two children dead.
Beyond Trump and Whitmer, other politicians also issued reactions. Vice President J.D. Vance called the Michigan shooting “just an awful situation” on X, adding, “Say a prayer for the victims and first responders.”
FBI Director Kash Patel condemned the violence on X as “a cowardly and criminal act,” and said that the agency’s “prayers are with the victims and their families during this terrible tragedy.”
Mitt Romney, a Republican former U.S. Senator for Utah and former Governor of Massachusetts who hails from Michigan and is a member of the Mormon church, posted on X: “Tragedy in Michigan as my brothers and sisters and their church are targets of violence. Praying for healing and comforting.”
Michigan’s Democratic Senators Elissa Slotkin and Gary Peters also reacted. Slotkin said in a statement posted on X: “We all grieve with the families and friends of those killed. They are feeling shock and pain of such a senseless act of violence.” Peters said in his statement that he was “appalled” by the attack, adding, “Violence targeting people peacefully gathering to practice their faith is completely unacceptable.”