Michigan church shooting victims accounted for, gunman named as Thomas Jacob Sanford
A Sunday service in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, turned into a nightmare when a gunman rammed his vehicle into a church, set the building on fire, and opened fire on congregants. At least four people have died, multiple others were critically injured, and authorities are still investigating the attack.
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Days before he allegedly killed four people at the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the alleged shooter espoused anti-Mormon views, according to a city council candidate.
Kris Johns, who is running for a seat on the Burton City Council, was out canvassing going door-to-door about a week ago when he met Thomas Sanford.
Within minutes of meeting, Johns said Sanford asked him “What are your thoughts on guns?” and “What do you know about Mormons?”
Johns said Sanford then launched into a tirade against the church.
"It was a tirade. I mean, that's ultimately what it was," he told Fox News. "It was a series of questions, but it was him proactively making a tirade about his views in the LDS Church.
“It was extremely anti-Mormon,” he added. “And then really what I walked away with, you know the statement I'll never forget was that Mormons are the anti-Christ.”
Johns said he initially didn't make the connection between Sanford's remarks and the attack in the church.
"I was in church at the time that the attack happened," he said. "I received the message and I saw that it was an LDS church. I made no connection. From the attack in Grand Blanc to what was him. It wasn't until later in the day where I saw a photo where I knew exactly that was the person I spoke with."
Thed truck driven by the alleged gunman who opened fire in a Michigan church had at least IEDs inside, authorities said. (WJBK)
The truck belonging to the man who allegedly crashed into The Church of Latter-Day Saints in Grand Blanc before opening fire on a crowd of worshippers was loaded with explosive devices, authorities said.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) told Fox Detroit that there were four IEDs found in Thomas Sanford's truck after it crashed into the church on Monday.
The IEDs were made of consumer grade fireworks and smoke canisters stuck together, the station reported.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the ATF.
Emergency responders work the scene outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following a shooting and fire in Grand Blanc, Mich., Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (Lukas Katilius/The Flint Journal via AP)
The FBI has conducted more than 100 interviews as it continues to investigate Sunday's deadly shooting, the agency said Monday.
Reuben Coleman, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI's Detroit Field Office, said that investigators were still trying to determine a motive for the attack.
"In the past 24 hours, our investigative squads and specialty teams have been out all night exhausting leads, some which are coming in from the public via tips," he said.
The FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of targeted violence.
The bureau's special agents, victim specialists, child advocate forensic interviewers, and local partners have interviewed over 100 victims and witnesses, Coleman said.
"Our Evidence Response Team (ERT)—which is a specialized team of special agents, intelligence analysts, and professional staff—are trained to process crimes (sic) scenes and collect evidence," he said. "They were out all night and continue processing the scene as we speak.
A police officer replaces the cones as an excavator pulls near the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025 in Grand Blanc Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
A 21-year-old person is in custody after driving through a barricade near a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, where authorities were investigating a deadly shooting and fire.
Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye told reporters Monday that an individual was taken into custody for the incident, though it was unclear whether it was connected to the shooting and fire.
Authorities are continuing to investigate.
Authorities identified Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, as the gunman who attacked a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, on Sunday. Police killed Sanford at the scene.
Marine veteran Thomas Jacob Sanford, the man identified by authorities as the gunman who killed four people and injured eight others at a Michigan church that he also allegedly set on fire, was previously arrested for burglary and operating while intoxicated (OWI), authorities said Monday.
“The suspect from yesterday has been arrested by law enforcement in the past,” Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye said during a press conference.
Sanford, 40, was killed when he engaged with responding law enforcement officers at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc on Sunday.
Law enforcement stand along East Atherton Road near the home of a suspect allegedly involved in a shooting at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Burton, Mich. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
The FBI said that investigators are working to determine why a gunman plowed his pickup into a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, opened fire on a crowded Sunday service and set the building ablaze.
Reuben Coleman, acting special agent in charge of FBI Detroit Field Office, provided an update on the investigation during a press conference in Grand Blanc on Monday.
“This is an act of targeted violence, and we are continuing to work to determine a motive,” he said. “In the past 24 hours, our investigative squads and specialty teams have been out all night, exhausting leads, some of which have been coming in from the public via tips.”
“Our special agents, victim specialist, child advocate, forensic interviewers and local partners have interviewed over 100 victims and witnesses to date and are continuing to interview individuals as we speak,” he continued.
Law enforcement officers walk outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, in Grand Blanc Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
All victims involved in the shooting and fire at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, have been accounted for, authorities said Monday.
“As I said, this is an evil act and does not define Grand Blanc or who we are at this time,” Grand Blanc Police Chief Willian Renye said. “What we know is everyone has been accounted for. We still are in the process of clearing out that church, but at this time, everyone is accounted for.”
Reuben Coleman, acting special agent in charge of FBI Detroit Field Office, said the motive for what the agency is calling "an act of targeted violence" remains under investigation.
Authorities said that four victims were killed and eight others were injured in the shooting and subsequent fire.
The gunman, who was identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, was killed after engaging responding officers.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer asked people to cool their rhetoric as the investigation into the deadly church shooting and fire remains ongoing.
Whitmer spoke at a press conference Monday in Grand Blanc after a gunman attacked a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, killing four people and injuring eight others.
“At this juncture, speculation is unhelpful and it can be downright dangerous,” the Democrat governor said. “So just ask that people lower the temperature of rhetoric, keep your loved ones close, and keep this community close to your hearts. Let's keep doing the work together. Let's be kind and let's love our neighbors.”
Whitmer also said she spoke with President Donald Trump, who shared his condolences.
Paul Kirby, a worshipper at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, tells WTOL-TV about the moment the shooting began on Sunday.
Paul Kirby, a worshipper at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, recalled the moment a gunman smashed a pickup into the church and opened fire during services on Sunday.
Kirby told WTOL-TV that he was with his wife and their two sons inside the chapel when the crash happened. He said that worshippers initially thought it was an accident and went to help the driver.
“And that’s when I saw the shooter start aiming at people and starting to shoot,” Kirby said. “I turned around and started running for the door.”
Kirby, who was treated for a shrapnel injury, said he didn’t think he’d make it out alive.
“I was panicking and trying to get through the doors as fast as possible, and just expecting a bullet in my back,” he said. “I was just waiting for it.”
Kirby and his wife grabbed their children and rushed for safety. He said his eldest son held open the door so that others could escape.
“I don’t see him cry very often,” Kirby said of his son. “But I saw the fear in his eyes. He was crying … It was the scaredest I’ve ever been in my life.”
Kirby told the outlet that he hopes people will become more unified following the attack instead of turning it political.
“There’s so many people that are so quick to judge, so ready to point the finger at who did it, why they did it, some political reasons, just something, everybody’s making stuff up,” he said. “We can’t be pointing the finger, we can’t make this political. We can’t let this divide us.”
Emergency responders work the scene outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following a shooting and fire in Grand Blanc, Mich., Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (Lukas Katilius/The Flint Journal via AP)
The Grand Blanc Township Police Department announced a press conference will be held at 12:30 p.m. Monday.
Federal and local agencies are expected to provide updates on Sunday’s deadly shooting and fire that happened at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc.
The FBI is looking into the Michigan church shooting and fire as an incident of targeted violence.
Authorities identified ex-Marine Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, as the suspect who allegedly smashed a pickup truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, opened fire and set the building ablaze during a crowded Sunday service.
"I can confirm at this time that the FBI is now leading the investigation and is investigating this as an act of targeted violence," Reuben Coleman, acting special agent in charge of FBI Detroit Field Office, said on Sunday.
Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye told reporters more victims could be found as searchers made their way through the entire church.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital’s Pilar Arias. To read more, click here.
Exterior of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025 in Grand Blanc Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Officials in Michigan said authorities held a morning command meeting and are expecting to deliver an update later Monday on the deadly shooting and fire that happened at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc.
The Grand Blanc Township Police Department shared the update at around 9:15 a.m. ET in a Facebook post.
The department said that portion of McCandlish Road, along which the church is located, remains closed for investigators and necessary equipment. Those who still have vehicles in the church parking lot may be able to retrieve them later this afternoon.
Officials have said that at least four people were killed. Seven others were injured and were in stable condition while an eighth injured person remains in critical condition. Two victims were killed by gunfire; two others were found after the fire.
Officials are still searching the ruins of the scorched church building for more victims. Police have not released the number of people still believed to be unaccounted for.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed new details about the gunman who killed at least four people and injured several others during a crowded Sunday service at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church in Michigan.
Leavitt told “FOX & Friends” on Monday morning that, through conversations with FBI Director Kash Patel, she has learned that Marine veteran Thomas Jacob Sanford harbored a hatred for people of the Mormon faith.
“From what I understand, based on my conversations with the FBI director, all they know right now is this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith, and they are trying to understand more about this, how premeditated it was, how much planning went into it, whether he left a note, all of those questions have yet to be answered, but certainly will be answered by the FBI,” she said.
The FBI is currently executing multiple search warrants at Sanford’s homes “to get the bottom of why he would commit such an act of evil,” according to Leavitt.
Leavitt added that the gunman’s family is cooperating with the FBI.
Sanford plowed a pickup into a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church in Grand Blanc, Michigan, opened fire and set the building ablaze. He was killed after engaging with responding law enforcement officers.
Authorities are searching the building ruins for more victims.
Thomas Jacob Sanford was named by authorities as the man who rammed a Chevy Silverado truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, on Sunday before opening fire on the hundreds of worshipers gathered there. (Facebook / Tella Sanford)
The man police identified as the gunman who killed at least four people and injured several others during services at a Michigan Mormon church on Sunday before setting the building on fire is a 40-year-old Marine veteran who served in Iraq.
Thomas Jacob Sanford was named by authorities as the man who rammed a Chevy Silverado truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, before opening fire on the hundreds of worshipers gathered there.
Sanford then allegedly set the building on fire before being killed by responding officers. Police said they believe Sanford used an accelerant, likely gasoline, to start the fire.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano. To read more, click here.
Grand Blanc Township Chief of Police William Renye and law enforcement officers address the media after a shooting and fire the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Some of the hundreds of congregants inside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints helped shield the children during the shooting, authorities said.
“I’d also like to acknowledge the heroism of not only the first responders, but the people who were inside that church at the time,” Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye.
“They were shielding the children who are also present within the church, moving them to safety," he added.
Fire and law enforcement officers stand outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc, Mich; Suspect Jacob Sanford. (AP; Facebook/Tella Sanford)
A 2007 Clarkston News article described then-22-year-old Thomas “Jake” Sanford, an Atlas Township/Goodrich High School alum, as a Marine sergeant preparing to deploy to Fallujah, with a proud family behind him.
“I’m excited to go … I’ll return with the real news of the situation,” Sanford said, while his father added, “We are very proud of him.”
The article also quotes Sanford’s father as describing his son as “a homegrown kid who misses his family when he’s gone … Jake’s going voluntarily and plans on returning to this community when his service is over. We are very proud of him.”
Sanford rammed a pickup into a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church during Sunday services before opening fire and then setting the building ablaze.
The attack killed at least four and injured eight before he was shot and killed by officers responding to the incident.
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