Deadly Shooting and Arson at Michigan LDS Church Leaves Four Dead, Eight Injured
Grand Blanc Township, Michigan – September 29, 2025 – A horrific act of violence shattered the peace of a Sunday worship service at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Grand Blanc Township yesterday, leaving four congregants dead, eight injured, and the community in mourning. The assailant, identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, rammed a pickup truck through the church’s entrance, opened fire with an assault rifle, and set the building ablaze before being killed by police in a shootout. The FBI is investigating the attack as a potential hate crime, with the motive still under scrutiny, as the tragedy coincides with the recent passing of the LDS Church’s global leader, President Russell M. Nelson.
The Attack Unfolds
At approximately 10:30 a.m. ET on September 28, 2025, around 150 to 200 worshippers, including families with children, were gathered for a morning service at the LDS chapel on McCandlish Road, a quiet suburban area 50 miles north of Detroit. The service was interrupted by a deafening crash when Sanford, driving a black pickup truck with an Iraq War veteran license plate, deliberately plowed through the church’s front doors, splintering glass and wood. Emerging from the vehicle, he began firing an assault rifle into the congregation, causing immediate panic as attendees scrambled for cover under pews or toward exits.
Witnesses reported that Sanford then poured an accelerant, believed to be gasoline, inside the sanctuary and ignited it, sending flames and thick black smoke through the wooden structure. Drone footage captured by local news outlets showed firefighters battling the blaze for hours, with significant damage to the church’s interior and steeple. “It was like a nightmare—gunshots, screams, then smoke everywhere,” said survivor Katelyn Kruse, 26, who reunited with family members outside the nearby Trillium Theater.
Grand Blanc Township Police arrived within one minute of the first 911 calls, engaging Sanford in the parking lot. The suspect was killed in the ensuing gunfire, with no officers harmed. Initially, two fatalities were reported, but the toll rose to four by evening as two additional victims succumbed to injuries at Hurley Medical Center in Flint. The eight wounded, ranging from children to seniors, suffered gunshot wounds and smoke inhalation, with several undergoing emergency surgeries. As of this morning, their conditions are listed as critical but stable.
The Suspect: A Troubled Past
Thomas Jacob Sanford, a Burton, Michigan resident, was a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq from 2007 to 2008 as an automotive mechanic and vehicle recovery operator. Local veterans’ organizations noted that Sanford had struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since his return, though he had no criminal record in Michigan. Following the attack, authorities searched his Burton home, seizing electronic devices, phone records, and documents that may provide clues to his motive.
Preliminary reports suggest possible anti-Mormon sentiment. Unverified accounts claim Sanford, who reportedly lived briefly in Utah, harbored resentment toward the LDS Church, possibly stemming from a past relationship with a church member and frustrations over its doctrines. Witnesses alleged he shouted questions about belief in LDS founder Joseph Smith before firing, but these claims remain unconfirmed by officials. Early reports of a Trump campaign flag on Sanford’s truck were clarified as an Iraq veteran plate after review of surveillance footage. The FBI has classified the incident as “targeted violence” against a religious institution and is exploring potential links to domestic extremism, though no manifesto or explicit ideological ties have been confirmed.
Community and Official Response
The attack, the 324th mass shooting in the U.S. this year per the Gun Violence Archive, marks another assault on a house of worship, following recent incidents at a Minneapolis Catholic church and another Michigan congregation in June. The timing adds to the LDS community’s grief, as it occurred one day after the death of President Russell M. Nelson, the church’s 101-year-old global leader, on September 27.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer addressed the state, calling the attack “an assault on our shared faith and safety.” She pledged support for Grand Blanc, where all 13 public schools closed today to allow students and staff to process the trauma. A community vigil was held last night at the high school gymnasium, where survivors and families gathered under makeshift lighting for prayers and counseling.
President Donald Trump, posting on Truth Social, labeled the shooting “another attack on Christians” and promised federal resources for the investigation. The New York Police Department and other major cities announced heightened patrols at religious sites as a precaution. Bishop Elena Ramirez, the local LDS congregation leader, spoke to reporters outside the charred church, saying, “We worship a God of peace, and though evil struck us, we will heal through love. But we demand justice for our fallen.”
Investigation and Aftermath
The FBI, leading the joint investigation with Michigan State Police, is combing through Sanford’s digital footprint and interviewing associates. Acting Special Agent in Charge Reuben C. Coleman emphasized that all angles, including ideological motives, are being explored. The church, a focal point of the community, faces extensive rebuilding, with its interior gutted by fire and bullet damage.
A makeshift memorial of flowers and candles now lines McCandlish Road, where parishioners returned at dawn to grieve. Support funds have been established via the LDS Church’s website, and crisis hotlines, including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (988) and Disaster Distress Helpline (1-800-985-5990), are active. A joint FBI-Michigan State Police briefing is scheduled for this afternoon to provide updates.
As Grand Blanc mourns, the nation confronts yet another chapter in its struggle with gun violence and attacks on sacred spaces. For this tight-knit community, the path to healing begins amid ashes, with resilience and faith as their guide.
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