Just as Sunday service at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, was getting underway, congregants heard a loud boom near the front of the church. Fearing that someone was injured, some moved toward the sound to help, but were met with gunfire.
A man police have identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, of Burton, Michigan, rammed his Chevy Silverado truck — adorned with a pair of American flags in the bed — through the church’s front door and began firing an assault rifle at the hundreds of gathered worshippers. At some point, he set the church ablaze while terrified congregants were still trapped in the building.
By the time the shooting was over, one victim was dead, 9 others were wounded, and Sanford was killed in a gunfight with police. Later in the day, three more victims were declared dead; one from a gunshot wound, and two others who were found later in the evening inside the burned remains of the church.
Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye said during an 8pm press conference that there were still individuals unaccounted for, and that the church had not fully been cleared by first responders. Additional victims may be found.
Phillip Cotter, who was a member of the church, teared up as he spoke to the Detroit Free Press. He did not attend services this morning, “I know everyone who was there,” he said.
“I don’t know what God has planned for us, but I trust him. Evil is alive; it’s active. People are too casual to throw out terms that inflame others, weak minds.”
At 10:25 am, the Grand Blanc Police Department received a call that a mass shooting was underway. Within a minute, officers were on scene and responding to the situation. At some point during the attack, Sanford exited the church and began firing at cars and churchgoers in the parking lot. A Grand Blanc Township police officer and an officer from the state’s Department of Natural Resources were on-scene and fired at Sanford, killing him at 10:33 am.
Firefighter first responders raced to the scene to help stop the blaze at the church while police and EMS workers tended to the wounded.
James Deir, the Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Detroit Field Division, said during the Sunday night press conference that agents located explosives during their investigation, though he did not say where the explosives were found. He did confirm that Thomas Jacob Sanford used gasoline to start the fire in the church.
In the hours after the shooting, there were also reportedly bomb threats called in to other area churches, according to Specialist Lieutenant Kim Vetter of the Michigan State Police. When asked if there was an active threat to the community, she advised residents to stay vigilant and report any unusual behavior, but did not confirm that there was an ongoing threat.
Once officers identified the shooter, a convoy of law enforcement officers traveled to his home in Burton to begin an investigation into his potential motives. Police deployed a bomb squad unit, including a robot, and used drones to search Sanford’s home, fearing that he may have rigged its interior with explosives.
The shooting came out of nowhere; one man, who was injured when the gunman fired a bullet through his windshield as he tried to escape with his wife, told Detroit 2 News that no one he had spoken with had ever seen Sanford before.
Reyne commended the members of the church for their bravery in the face of unimaginable violence, noting that many were shielding the children inside the building as they rushed them to safety.
“Just hundreds of people, just practicing their faith,” Reyne said of the congregants.
“We do believe that there were people up there that were near that fire and they were unable to get out of the church. So, we do believe we will find additional victims once we’re able to search that, once there’s no signs of a fire reigniting,” Reyne said.
He said he believes that the fire was intentionally started by Sanford.
At 5 pm, Reyne provided a second update, where he named the shooter and gave a brief update on the conditions of the wounded. At that time, no additional victims were added to the previous count.
Little is known of Sanford at this time. According to the New York Times, Sanford graduated from a high school near the church before joining the U.S. Marine Corps.
One of Sanford’s neighbors, Randy Thronson, 71, told the Times that he knew the shooter, and said during the winter Sanford would plow his and his neighbors’ driveways for free. He noted that he had not spoken to the man for two years, but said he “seemed like a nice guy.”
The Clarkston News, a local paper in the area, published an article about Sanford in 2007 lauding his “stellar” military service, noting that he had reached the rank of sergeant at his duty station in Okinawa, Japan, before he was deployed to Fallujah, Iraq.
The U.S. Marine Corps released further information about Sanford’s service to NBC News. He was an organization automotive mechanic and vehicle recovery operator, and received the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and National Defense Service Medal before he left the service.
His final posting was in the 2nd Maintenance Battalion of Combat Logistics Regiment 25 at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
He reportedly was a father, and his son — who was born approximately 10 years ago – was diagnosed with hyperinsulinism, according to USA TODAY. Individuals with the rare disease have higher-than-normal levels of insulin, which can increase the risk of brain-related complications.
“We found out Brantlee was having problems shortly after his birth,” Sanford said in a 2016 interview about his family’s medical struggles. “It was a nightmare for us. We were slowly realizing that Brantlee wasn’t a typical premature baby.”
The child’s condition today and the state of Sanford’s family in the wake of the attack are currently unknown.
Police are still investigating a possible motive for the attack.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer condemned the violence shortly after the shooting occurred.
“My heart is breaking for the Grand Blanc community,” Whitmer said in a social media post. “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.”
By 1:08 pm, President Donald Trump acknowledged that he had been briefed on the shooting and provided the following statement in a post on Truth Social:
“I have been briefed on the horrendous shooting that took place at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Grand Blanc, Michigan. The FBI was immediately on scene, and will be leading the Federal Investigation, and providing full support to State and Local Officials. The suspect is dead, but there is still a lot to learn. This appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America. The Trump Administration will keep the Public posted, as we always do. In the meantime, PRAY for the victims, and their families. THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!”
The shooting marks the 324th mass shooting this year, according to data kept by the Gun Violence Archive. The archive defines a “mass shooting” as one in which four or more people, not including the shooter, are shot.
Less than 24 hours before the church attack, Nigel Edge, another Marine veteran who deployed to Iraq, shot and killed three people and wounded five others at a crowded waterfront bar in Southport, North Carolina.
The shooting is also the latest in a number of attacks focused on places of worship.
On August 27 — just a little over a month before Sanford’s attack — Robin Westman, 23, fired a gun through the windows of a church in Minneapolis, killing two children and wounding 14 others, as well as an elderly congregant. The group was praying at the time of the attack. Westman graduated from the school in 2017, and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene.
On September 19, just over a week before the Michigan shooting, a 31-year-old man allegedly set fire to a synagogue in southwestern Florida. That individual has been charged with felony arson and felony criminal mischief to a house of worship.
