Officials say Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, rammed his truck bearing two American flags into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, then opened fire on hundreds of worshippers.
Michigan Church fire’s smoke seen in Grand Blanc
A gunman opened fire at a church which then caught fire in Grand Blanc, Michigan, police said. These images show smoke rising from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building.
- Authorities were searching for additional victims in the charred ruins of a Michigan church following an attack that killed two people and injured others.
- Thomas Jacob Sanford set fire to the church building with gasoline while firing on worshippers with an assault rifle, police said.
- Sanford was killed by police during a shootout in the church parking lot.
Law enforcement on Monday were searching for more victims and piecing together what led an ex-Marine to launch a deadly attack on a church in central Michigan, killing at least four people and wounding eight others in what authorities are investigating as an “act of targeted violence.”
Authorities say Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, rammed his truck bearing two American flags into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, a suburb of Flint. The attacker then got out of his truck, opened fire on hundreds of worshippers and used gasoline to set the building ablaze, authorities said.
Ten people suffered gunshot wounds, including two who were pronounced dead. One person injured in the attack was in critical condition and seven were stable as of the evening of Sept. 28, authorities said. Sanford was killed while exchanging gunfire with responding officers in the church’s parking lot.
Two people were later found dead in the charred wreckage of the chapel, authorities announced on the evening of Sept. 28. Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said first responders were still working to find more victims, adding that some people remained “unaccounted for.”
“We’re working tirelessly to find additional bodies,” he said. “The entire church has not been cleared because it’s a total loss due to the fire.”
The shooting was the latest to break out at a place of worship this year and comes after several high profile, “targeted” attacks. Last month, a gunman opened fire at a Catholic church in Minnesota where hundreds of young students were attending Mass, killing two children and wounding at least 17 people. In the wake of the attack, President Donald Trump called for an end to what he described as an “epidemic of violence in our country.”
Mourners across central Michigan gathered on a football field shortly after the shooting to pray for the victims in the Grand Blanc attack, their families and those impacted by other violent incidents across the country.
The vigil was planned weeks ago by the Genesee County Republican Party as a reaction to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The event, which was held on the football field of Holy Redeemer Church in Burton, focused primarily on the deadly church rampage that broke out less than 10 miles away.
Pastor Timothy Hicks of Christian Love Faith Center in Flint attended the vigil. He said he heard the news of the shooting while leading service at his own church and paused to lead his congregation in praying for the victims.
“You can only imagine how devastating it is when you think you’re in a place of safety, a place of worship and then all of a sudden lives are taken at the sound of a gunshot,” Hicks said.
– Tess Ware, Detroit Free Press
Multiple public school districts canceled classes and after-school activities on Monday, Sept. 29, in the aftermath of the deadly attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc.
The Grand Blanc Community Schools System on Sept. 28 announced the temporary closure that will impact 13 campuses operated by the district. Several other school districts in Genesee County also decided to cancel classes for the day, including Atherton Community Schools and Goodrich Area Schools.
“We know this tragedy has weighed heavily on our students, staff, and families. The visible police activity throughout the community has created understandable distraction and unease,” said a statement from Goodrich Area Schools. “We believe taking this day will allow space for healing and for families to be together.”
Central Michigan residents expressed disbelief in the wake of the deadly attack.
“I am very shaken up,” Stephanie Giddings, whose daughter had recently been baptized at the chapel, told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. “They’re family.”
Phillip Cotter, a Clio resident, was a member of the Grand Blanc church but didn’t attend morning services the day of the shooting. “I know everyone who was there,” he said, choking up with emotion as tears welled in his eyes.
Tony Deck, 56, said he was sitting on the porch Sunday morning, Sept. 28, when law enforcement vehicles from various agencies flew by his home. He said he knew something was gravely wrong, so he jumped in his car and followed them to the church, where he saw the suspect’s truck burning, the bodies of the dead and first responders arriving with gurneys and rescue gear.
“It’s an extremely sad day,” said Deck. “Grand Blanc is a good and quiet town and definitely doesn’t deserve this.”
Sanford, of Burto, Michigan, about eight miles north of Grand Blanc, appears to have been an veteran of the U.S. Marines, according to his mothers’ social media posts and archived news reports.
Sanford did stints in Japan and Iraq after graduating from Goodrich High School in 2003, according to a 2007 news article from the Clarkston News.
He appeared to be an avid hunter and fisherman, according to photos posted on Facebook pages of his loved ones, including his girlfriend and mother. Photos show him in camouflage hunting gear with deer he had harvested, and fish he’d caught while ice fishing.
Sanford’s son Brantlee was born about a decade ago with a rare condition called hyperinulinism, where high levels of insulin increase the risk of dangerous seizures.
Sanford is registered to vote in Burton, Michigan, but available records do not show when he last voted. In Michigan, voters do not register by party. Although Sanford’s political views are unclear, Sanford is seen wearing a camouflage Trump 2020 campaign shirt in a 2019 photo from a Facebook page dedicated to his son’s medical journey.
Contributing: Karissa Waddick, Dinah Voyles Pulver, Thao Nguyen, Joey Garrison, Chris Quintana and Dinah Voyles Pulver
