Officials identified Burton, Michigan, resident Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, as the suspect in a shooting on Sunday that killed at least four people at a Mormon church in Grand Blanc.
The attack began at 10:25 a.m. when Sandford allegedly drove his vehicle into the front doors of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye. The shooter then exited his vehicle and opened fire on attendees.
The church was also set on fire, although it’s unclear how it started. However, Renye said it is believed the suspect started it “deliberately.”
Four people have died, and eight more are hospitalized. Law enforcement said they expect to find more fatalities as they search through the area where the fire started.
“The entire church has not been cleared because it’s a total loss due to the fire,” Renye said. “I don’t know how many people are unaccounted for at this time.”
The suspect is also believed to have acted alone with an assault rifle.
Renye said the suspect died in the church parking lot after exchanging fire with responding officers.
Who is the shooter?
Sanford is an ex-Marine. In a 2007 article from the Clarkston News, it was reported that Sanford did stints in Japan and Iraq after graduating from high school.
Sanford also had a son, Brantlee, who was diagnosed with hyperinsulinism, a rare condition in which the body produces excessive amounts of insulin, increasing the risk of seizures and permanent brain damage, according to a 2016 interview with Cook Children’s Checkup Newsroom. Cook Children’s is a pediatric hospital in Texas where Sanford and his wife, Tella Sanford, took their son for treatment.
During a press conference on Sunday, Renye said there is believed to be no connection between Sanford and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He is believed to have used an accelerant to start the fire in the church, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Agent James Deir. Additional “suspected” explosive devices were also found in the building, but it’s unknown if they were used to start the fire, according to Deir.
He was killed around 10:33 a.m. after engaging in gunfire with two police officers, one from the local department and one from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
“They met the suspect and engaged in gunfire with that particular individual, neutralizing that suspect, and that suspect is no longer with us,” Renye said.
Law enforcement response
Renye said law enforcement has entered the suspect’s home to gather more information.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that the agency has been dispatched to the area, and Renye said over 100 federal agents are expected.
In a post on X, Patel said, “We are tracking reports of the horrific shooting and fire at an LDS church in Grand Blanc, Michigan. @FBI agents are on the scene to assist local authorities. Violence in a place of worship is a cowardly and criminal act. Our prayers are with the victims and their families during this terrible tragedy.”
Reuben Coleman, acting special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit field office, said during the press conference that the agency is now leading the investigation and considers it an act of “targeted violence.”
New York City police also put out a statement, saying they would increase law enforcement presence at religious institutions following the attack. Other bomb threats have been made to sites in the region, including other churches.
“Some of them were churches, and we responded and cleared those locations,” Michigan State Police Specialist Lt. Kim Vetter said Sunday evening.
Officials condemn shooting on social media
President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other lawmakers took to social media on Sunday to decry the incident.
After being briefed on the attack, Trump called it “yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America.”
Vance said, “Just an awful situation in Michigan. FBI is on the scene and the entire administration is monitoring things. Say a prayer for the victims and first responders.”
In a Facebook post, Grand Blanc Mayor John Creasey expressed sympathy for the victims’ families, praised the police officers and first responders who were on the scene, and thanked local businesses.
“As the Mayor of the City of Grand Blanc, my heart is broken for the families of the victims, and all those who had to witness the inhumanity behavior during the church’s Sunday service,” he said. “As we mourn the loss of members in our Community, just remember to love one another.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) said, “My heart is breaking for the Grand Blanc community. Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable. I am grateful to the first responders who took action quickly. We will continue to monitor this situation and hold the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc close.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi also condemned violence in a place of worship, calling it “chilling.”
MICHIGAN CHURCH SHOOTER IDENTIFIED AS ONE VICTIM STILL IN CRITICAL CONDITION
“I am receiving briefings about what appears to be a horrific shooting and fire at an LDS church in Grand Blanc, Michigan. @FBI and @ATFHQ agents are en route to the scene now. Such violence at a place of worship is heartbreaking and chilling. Please join me in praying for the victims of this terrible tragedy,” Bondi said on X.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) echoed Bondi, saying, “The escalation of violent attacks against people and places of faith is heinous and must end. I have directed the Texas Dept. of Public Safety to form task forces with federal and local law enforcement to better safeguard our places of worship. 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.”
The incident follows the death of Russell M. Nelson, the oldest president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on Saturday at the age of 101. The church is also a week away from its general conference, a worldwide event during which church leaders speak to 17 million members.
