What we know about the Michigan church shooting and fire that killed 4 people

Reuters

Shooter kills two, wounds eight at Mormon church in Michigan

Two people died and eight others were wounded when a gunman opened fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, during Sunday morning services on September 28, 2025.

The Detroit News

The Associated Press

Two people died and eight others were wounded when a gunman opened fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, during Sunday morning services on September 28, 2025.

Police identified Thomas Jacob Sanford as a 40-year-old Burton resident and Iraq War veteran who served in the US Marines from 2004 to 2008, according to authorities and social media posts by his family members.</span

New York Post

Mlive

Police identified Thomas Jacob Sanford as a 40-year-old Burton resident and Iraq War veteran who served in the US Marines from 2004 to 2008, according to authorities and social media posts by his family members.

Sanford rammed his Chevy Silverado pickup truck through the front entrance of the church at 10:25 a.m. before exiting the vehicle and opening fire with an assault-style rifle on hundreds of worshippers attending the Sunday service.</span

Detroit Free Press

BBC News

Sanford rammed his Chevy Silverado pickup truck through the front entrance of the church at 10:25 a.m. before exiting the vehicle and opening fire with an assault-style rifle on hundreds of worshippers attending the Sunday service.

Two officers — one from Grand Blanc Township police and another from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources — responded within 32 seconds and engaged Sanford in gunfire, killing him by 10:33 a.m. in the church parking lot.</span

Two officers — one from Grand Blanc Township police and another from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources — responded within 32 seconds and engaged Sanford in gunfire, killing him by 10:33 a.m. in the church parking lot.

The suspect deliberately set the church building on fire during the attack, causing the entire structure to be engulfed in flames and destroyed, with authorities warning they may discover additional victims once the scene is secured.</span

FOX 2 Detroit

The suspect deliberately set the church building on fire during the attack, causing the entire structure to be engulfed in flames and destroyed, with authorities warning they may discover additional victims once the scene is secured.

President Donald Trump called the incident another targeted attack on Christians in America, while Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer condemned the violence as unacceptable, particularly in a place of worship.</span

President Donald Trump called the incident another targeted attack on Christians in America, while Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer condemned the violence as unacceptable, particularly in a place of worship.

Church Shooting in Michigan Leaves 2 Dead, 8 Wounded

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Church Shooting in Michigan Leaves 2 Dead, 8 Wounded

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