A gunman drove into a church in Grand Blanc, Michigan, on Sept. 28 and opened fire on hundreds gathered, killing four people and injuring at least eight before police fatally shot him, authorities said. Investigators believe the suspect also intentionally set fire to the church.
At a press briefing after the shooting, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief Bill Renye said the suspect, 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford from the city of Burton, rammed his vehicle into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at around 10:25 a.m. during Sunday services before unleashing gunfire with an assault rifle.
“We are still trying to determine exactly when and where that fire ended up coming from and how it got started, so we believe it was deliberately set out by the suspect,” Renye said.
FOX News reported that Sanford was a former Marine who served from 2004 to 2008, including deployments to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He reportedly left the service as a sergeant and received several awards, including the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Authorities confirmed that 10 people were taken to nearby hospitals, two of whom later died. Two others were later found dead inside the church. Additional victims may still be found once firefighters fully search the structure, Reyne said. Police also discovered up to three possible improvised explosive devices, according to NBC News.
Michigan state police said they were also responding to a wave of additional bomb threats across the community, including at churches, though investigators later cleared them.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X that the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are assisting local law enforcement.
Reuben Coleman, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office, said the agency is treating the attack as “an act of targeted violence.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement thanking first responders and asking for prayers.
“Places of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer, and connection,” the statement said. “We pray for peace and healing for all involved.”
Several leaders responded to the shooting with calls for prayer and stronger security in places of worship.
In a statement posted online, Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said her “heart is breaking for the Grand Blanc community.”
“Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable,” she added. “I am grateful to the first responders who took action quickly.”
In a Truth Social post, President Donald Trump said the incident “appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America.”
“The Trump Administration will keep the Public posted, as we always do. In the meantime, PRAY for the victims, and their families,” he added. “THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, announced the formation of state task forces to protect houses of worship and warned that the “escalation of violent attacks against people and places of faith is heinous and must end.”
“The fundamental principle that thou shall not kill must be strongly reaffirmed as a core tenet of our society, and must be aggressively enforced by law enforcement,” Abbott wrote on X.
This is a developing story.
