Gunman Sets Michigan Church on Fire, Kills Multiple in Mass Shooting
Grand Blanc Township, Michigan – A Sunday service at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints turned into horror when a gunman drove into the building, set it on fire, and opened fire on worshippers, killing multiple people before being shot dead by police.
Authorities identified the attacker as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, a former U.S. Marine from Burton and an Iraq War veteran. Police say Sanford deliberately ignited the blaze using gasoline or another accelerant, and investigators also recovered explosives at the scene.
At least two victims died on the spot, and eight others were rushed to hospitals. Hours later, firefighters searching through the charred remains of the church found at least two more bodies. Officials warned the death toll may rise as some people remain unaccounted for.
“There are some that are unaccounted for,” said Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye, noting that hundreds had been inside the church when the attack began.
Two officers arrived within 30 seconds of the first emergency call and engaged Sanford in a gun battle. He was killed in the parking lot about eight minutes after the attack started, police said.
The FBI has taken over the case, calling it “an act of targeted violence.” Sanford’s home and phone will be searched as investigators look for a motive.
The attack comes less than 14 hours after another Marine veteran, Nigel Max Edge, 40, opened fire on a waterfront bar in Southport, North Carolina, killing three and injuring five. Edge, a decorated Iraq veteran who once sued the U.S. government over his war injuries, has been charged with murder and attempted murder.
Witnesses in Michigan described scenes of chaos. “I heard a big bang and the doors blew,” said Paula, a church member who lost friends and children from her Sunday class in the attack. “It’s very devastating for me.”
Former President Donald Trump condemned the shooting, calling it “yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America” and demanding an end to what he described as an “epidemic of violence.”
Grand Blanc, a town of about 7,700 people located 60 miles northwest of Detroit, is now the site of the 324th mass shooting in the U.S. in 2025. It was also the third mass shooting within 24 hours, following the North Carolina bar attack and another deadly shooting at a Texas casino.
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