A man crashed his vehicle through the front doors of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan and opened with an assault rifle before settling the church ablaze.
The incident resulted in the deaths of at least four people and injuries to at least eight others. The shooter identified as 40-year-old , a former US Marine from Burton, Thomas Jacob Sanford died in the shootout with the police.
Authorities reported that Stanford deliberately ignited the church, which quickly became engulfed in flames and billowing smoke . The 2 of the shooting victims were confirmed dead at the scene, while 8 others were hospitalised. Several hours later, police discovered two additional bodies in the church’s charred remains, with concerns that more victims may be unaccounted for.
Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye emphasised the ongoing search for additional victims, stating “There are some that are unaccounted for”.
Investigators believe Stanford used an accelerant, likely gasoline, to fuel the fire and some explosives were also found at the scene. The FBI is leading the investigation, categorising the incident as “an act of targeted violence”.
Hundreds were present in the church during the attack. Two law enforcement officers arrived within 30 seconds of the emergency calls and engaged in a gunfight with Sanford, fatally shooting him about eight minutes after the incident began.
Sanford served in the US Marine Corps from 2004 to 2008 and was an Iraq war veteran. Coincidentally, authorities are investigating another 40-year-old veteran, Nigel Max Edge, as a suspect in a separate shooting in North Carolina that killed three people and injured five others less than 14 houra prior to the Michigan incident.
Witnesses described the chaos, with one woman recalling, “I heard a big bang and the doors blew”. She further expressed her grief stating “I lost friends in there and some of my primary children that I teach on Sundays were hurt. It’s very devastating for me”.
In a statement on Truth Social, President Donald Trump remarked that the shooting “appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America”, urging that “this epidemic of violence in our country must end, immediately!”
The Michigan rampage marks the 324th mass shooting in the US in 2025. According to the Gun Violence Archive and is part of a disturbing trend being the third mass shooting in less than 24 hours across the country.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often referred to as the Mormon church follows the teachings of Jesus and the prophecies of its founder Joseph Smith, Grand Blanc. A town of approximately 7,700 residents is located about 60 miles northwest of Detroit.
The investigation continues as authorities search for answers and a motive behind tragic event.
