Grand Blanc Township church attack

Last updated

Grand Blanc Township church attack
Grand Blanc Township church attack
LocationThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, U.S.
Coordinates 42°54′34″N83°37′15″W / 42.90944°N 83.62083°W / 42.90944; -83.62083
DateSeptember 28, 2025 (2025-09-28)
c. 10:25 – 10:33 a.m. (EDT (UTC−04:00))
TargetChurchgoers
Attack type
Weapons
Deaths5 (2 by smoke inhalation; 3 by gunfire, including the assailant)
Injured8 (3 by smoke inhalation, 5 by gunfire)
AssailantThomas Jacob Sanford
Motive Anti-Mormon sentiment (unofficial)

On the morning of September 28, 2025, a mass shooting and arson attack occurred at a meetinghouse of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, United States. The assailant, 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, [3] rammed his pickup truck into the front wall of the chapel, then exited the vehicle and opened fire on the congregation with an assault rifle. [4] At some point Sanford set the building on fire, likely using gasoline as an accelerant, which destroyed most of it. Four church members were killed and eight injured. [5] [6] [1] Two were shot dead and two died in the fire. [7] Sanford was killed by police after a shootout in the building's parking lot 3 minutes and 47 seconds after the officers were dispatched. [8]

Contents

The Michigan office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said the attack was being investigated as an "act of targeted violence". [7] FBI director Kash Patel said that Sanford reportedly "hated people of the Mormon faith" [9] and a Burton City Council candidate told reporters that Sanford called LDS Church members "the antichrist" when the two had met a week before the attack. [10] [11] Friends said Sanford's frequently expressed animosity toward church members began after a relationship with a LDS woman more than a decade earlier ended badly. [12]

Background

The attack occurred at the LDS Church's Grand Blanc Stake Center in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, a suburb of Flint in Genesee County. The building was the headquarters of seven individual LDS Church congregations, called wards, that combine to form a unit called a stake. In addition to being used for special events involving multiple wards, the building served as the meetinghouse for the Grand Blanc Ward, with about 150 weekly attendees. [13] [14] [15]

The building was dedicated in September 1981 with a ceremony hosted by former Michigan governor George W. Romney. [16] His son, Mitt Romney, said a cousin attended services there until a recent ward boundary change placed her in another meetinghouse. As of 1996, the building had a capacity of approximately 1,100 and was located on a 13-acre (5.3 ha) parcel of land. [17]

The attack took place one day after the death of the church's president, Russell M. Nelson. Early investigators noted the short time between Nelson's death and the attack on the meetinghouse. [5] It was the first shooting at an LDS Church meetinghouse since a July 2018 shooting in Fallon, Nevada, which left one person dead and another injured. [18] [19]

Two other high-profile fatal shootings occurred within weeks before the attack: the assassination of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk; and a shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility that killed two immigrant detainees by an assailant with alleged "anti-ICE" motives. It was in this politically charged landscape that early speculations about Sanford's motives centered on his party affiliation and political identity. Some of his friends described him as a right-wing Republican, though law enforcement officials and those who knew him did not believe that he had been motivated by politics, but rather his reported animosity toward the LDS Church and its members. [12]

Attack

The attack began at approximately 10:25 a.m. EDT. Witnesses reported that Sanford rammed his GMC Sierra pickup truck through the church's front doors. [20] [4] [21] He then exited the vehicle armed with an assault rifle and opened fire on a church service attended by hundreds of people, including children. Witnesses reported that Sanford was wearing camouflage pants. [22] [23] [24] A church member recounted hearing a big bang that forced the doors open. Another member, while helping elderly people into a vehicle to escape, saw Sanford deliberately target the vehicle. [25] At some point Sanford set the building on fire, likely using gasoline as an accelerant, destroying most of the building and killing two church members inside. [5] [6] [1] [7] Grand Blanc Township firefighters extinguished the fire sometime between noon and 1 p.m.; by 8 p.m. the bodies of both church members killed in the fire had been recovered. [26]

Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye initially reported that a Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officer and a Grand Blanc Township police officer arrived within 30 seconds of the first 911 call. [27] Renye then said the officers killed Sanford during an exchange of gunfire in the parking lot within eight minutes of the first call. [28] [26] On October 3, the township police department released a 47-second video captured by the body camera of one of the responding officers. Reyne said a review of call logs and the footage showed that only 3 minutes and 47 seconds had elapsed between the two officers receiving the call from dispatch and killing Sanford. The department accordingly released an updated timeline: [8]

The video begins with the sound of multiple shots being fired and one officer telling the other "I got your back back here, man." The second officer can then be heard commanding Sanford to drop his gun and get on the ground. The first officer then told the other to shoot Sanford, after which two shots are heard—both fired by the conservation officer, according to investigators. The video shows a man wearing a suit, believed to be a congregation member, running toward Sanford carrying a handgun, then stopping to take aim but not firing. The video ends with both officers approaching Sanford, who is lying motionless in the parking lot. [8]

Victims

Four church members were killed. [29] Two were killed by gunfire; one was pronounced dead at the scene [30] and the other died at nearby Henry Ford Genesys Hospital. [31] Two victims died in the fire; both bodies were recovered after the fire was extinguished. [7] The ages of the victims who had been killed or wounded ranged from 6 to 78 years. [32]

Eight surviving church members were admitted to Henry Ford Genesys Hospital, five for gunshot wounds and three for smoke inhalation. By the evening of the attack, six of them were listed in stable condition and two critical; one of the critical patients had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen, the other an abdominal wound. The latter man's 6-year-old son was treated for a gunshot wound to his arm, transferred to a different hospital, and released within a few days. One man listed in stable condition had a gunshot wound in the leg. [33] [32] [34] Two of the patients treated for smoke inhalation were discharged by the next day, while one who could not breathe without assistance remained intubated. [32] An additional victim was treated for smoke inhalation at McLaren Healthcare and released the next day. [7]

A church member who died at the scene from gunfire was a married 72-year-old former LDS bishop. One of his daughters, who was present during the attack, wrote on social media that as Sanford approached while she knelt over her dying father, she looked into his eyes and "forgave him right there", adding that she "saw pain, he felt lost […] I forgave him not in words, but with my heart." [35] [36] Another daughter said her sister's post helped her to also forgive Sanford, saying, "I prayed for the man that took my father's life and I told him he is forgiven [...] I can tell you first hand it is actually very easy." The journalist covering the story noted a similarity to that of Erika Kirk forgiving her husband's killer at Charlie's memorial service the week before. [37]

A 77-year-old U.S Navy veteran of the Vietnam War was identified by his family as one of the victims who had been shot and killed. [38] [39] [40] The other two church members who died were a 54-year-old woman originally from South Africa [41] and another 77-year-old man. [33]

Two of the men wounded during the attack were fourth-year emergency medicine residents at Genesys Hospital. Both were Utah natives who had done their undergraduate work at Brigham Young University, and both ran back into the burning building several times to help others escape. One of the two, who was then the chief of education for residents, required extended treatment for smoke inhalation. A nurse who worked with him told reporters, "He wasn't going to not run in there. That's not him." Noting that he had served in the military, she added, "It's in his tactical training to do that." The other resident and his 6-year-old daughter were both wounded by bullet fragments as he was helping her and his wife escape through a window. He was the chief of residents at the time. [33] The medical chief of staff at the hospital called them "absolute heroes" for "going in and out of the fire to drag people out, helping each other take care of the victims on the scene." [3]

Assailant

The attacker was identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, a 40-year-old Iraq War veteran from Burton, Michigan. [6] [42] Sanford was born on July 29, 1985, [43] [44] and raised in Atlas Township, Michigan. [45] After graduating from Goodrich High School in May 2004, [46] he joined the Marines in June 2004 and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. He earned recognition for his rifle marksmanship and achieved the rank of sergeant before being deployed to Fallujah, Iraq, in August 2007. [47] His roles in Iraq were to repair military transport vehicles and equipment, and be a "vehicle recovery operator" responsible for retrieving armored troop support vehicles. [48] He returned to the U.S. in March 2008 and was discharged three months later. [49] Sanford and his wife were married in 2016 by Sanford's father, an ordained minister. [50] The couple had at least one child, a son, who underwent multiple surgeries in 2015 to treat a rare genetic disorder, causing significant financial stress. Sanford reportedly said at the time that caring for his sick son was the "most unique thing to deal with" compared to his military service and Iraq deployment. [51]

Motive for attack

According to friends and acquaintances, Sanford had been in a relationship with a devout LDS woman while residing in Park City, Utah, more than a decade before the attack. [52] He had reportedly felt "pressured" to join the church but resisted, and the relationship ended badly. One friend—who described Sanford as his best friend since preschool—said that Sanford returned to Michigan in mental "rough shape" and frequently expressed animosity toward LDS Church members. "He got this whole fascination with Mormons, and they are the Antichrist, and they are going to take over the world", the friend said. The same friend said Sanford's time in Iraq and heavy methamphetamine use seemed to have changed him even more from the "class clown" persona of his youth. [12]

Burton city council candidate Kris Johns said he had spoken to Sanford while canvassing less than a week before the shooting. Johns said that he and Sanford were discussing gun rights when Sanford asked Johns, "What do you know about Mormons?" Sanford identified himself as a Christian and expressed his concerns about LDS Church members and their beliefs for nearly 15 minutes in what Johns described as controlled and calm tones. [53] The Detroit Free Press called it a "tirade against the church", saying that Sanford described LDS Church members as "the antichrist". The same article also quoted Johns saying that Sanford was "extremely polite" and that "it was very much standard anti-LDS talking points that you would find on YouTube" and social media. [54] Johns told CBS News that Sanford said that Mormons "believe they're above Jesus", and that while he was dating the LDS woman in Utah, "they wanted me to get rid of my tattoos [...] to do all this stuff, and I wouldn't do it." In the same interview, Johns said Sanford "said nothing about Charlie Kirk, nothing about our current president or past president. He asked me about guns. I said I support the Second Amendment. We ended the conversation very positively." [55]

Aftermath

Nurses and emergency personnel on strike at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital heard the shooting while on the picket line and ran toward the church to help the first responders, and indicated their willingness to return to work if needed to care for the injured. [25] [56]

The Grand Blanc Police Department urged residents to avoid the crime scene. Police also set up a reunification site nearby. [57] The Grand Blanc Community Schools, Atherton Community Schools, and Goodrich Area Schools closed all campuses in the school district on September 29. [4] [58] [59]

A 21-year-old man from Flint was arrested after he drove his red Buick past barriers surrounding the church. The man had a long gun in the front seat. Law enforcement is trying to determine whether this was connected to the attack. [60] The incident was reported the day after the attack but police did not specify when it occurred. [61]

Investigation

The acting special agent in charge of the FBI's Michigan office said the attack was being investigated as an "act of targeted violence". [7] The day after the attack, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News, "From what I understand based on my conversations with the FBI director, all they know right now is this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith." [9]

Sanford is believed to have set the fire that engulfed the church. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it found four improvised explosive devices made of consumer-grade fireworks and smoke canisters stuck together inside the truck. Investigators searched Sanford's residence and sought warrants for his digital media to determine a motive. [62] [63]

Reactions

Religious leaders

The bishop of the congregation that was attacked, Jeffrey Schaub, gave a video statement in which he expressed his gratitude for the outpouring of love and support he and his ward members had received from the community, saying, "It is the most significant time of my life where I have felt the love and prayer of other people. It's been very inspiring, the amount of contact we've had with friends not of our faith." Upon his return home in the late evening of the attack, Schaub said that his family had received dozens of meals and notes from neighbors and other community members. "It was very humbling to see how much good there is in the world today and that, above all, we are all children of the same Father in heaven, and we love each other. As you might expect, our members are quite shaken, in spirit and body. And it hurts." He continued by expressing that his congregation's faith was the key to recovering from their sorrow by saying, "I know that through our Savior, Jesus Christ, we can find joy again. I know that with his help, there can be healing. And I know that as we focus on him, we can have joy." [64]

Dallin H. Oaks, then the LDS Church's senior apostle, said in a televised message to church members, "We mourn with our members who have lost loved ones", and that the attack "reminds us of our sacred responsibilities as followers of Jesus Christ." Oaks, who succeeded Nelson as president of the church two weeks later, remembered him as a "dear friend and cherished leader [whose] timeless teachings continue to guide us and help us find comfort amid suffering". He added, "we join in prayer for comfort with others around the world who are suffering from similar tragedies." [65] [11] [66]

Former Utah senator Mitt Romney, son of former Michigan governor George W. Romney, told reporters: "I think we are overwhelmingly affected by the loss of life and the injury, and that's what comes first. And then secondarily, the sadness of people targeting people of faith, of any faith, for violence." Mitt said one of his cousins attended services at the Grand Blanc Stake Center until a recent ward boundary change placed her in another meetinghouse. Speaking of his cousin's close relationships with members who were still attending her old meetinghouse, Romney said, "an attack on a religious institution where people are worshiping is unimaginable, unthinkable and inexcusable." He also mourned the loss of Nelson the day before the attack, recalling a feeling of being "bathed" in Nelson's "simple kindness" whenever they met. Romney said that Nelson's last address to church members referenced the words of Christ in the New Testament, "Blessed are the peacemakers." "And so he talked about looking for peace, looking for ways to bring down the temperature, and how prescient that was", Romney said. [67]

Catholic Bishop Earl Boyea, within whose diocese the Grand Blanc Stake Center is located, offered his condolences, saying, "Any place of worship should be a sanctuary of peace. The violation of such a haven, especially upon a Sunday morning, makes yesterday's act of mass violence even more shocking." Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger posted on his social media account, "In this time of immense sorrow, I ask that we stand in solidarity with the victims, their families, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Let us pray for peace and stability in our world and let us commit ourselves to actions that help to create that peace." [68]

Politicians

Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer condemned the shooting, saying her "heart is breaking for the Grand Blanc community", and ordered flags to be flown at half-mast. [69] [70] She also cautioned members of the public against engaging in unhelpful and potentially dangerous speculation about the shooter's motives, asking them to "lower the temperature of rhetoric" that might hinder the ongoing investigation. [71] [72] "Keep your loved ones close, keep this community close to your hearts," Whitmer added. [73]

President Donald Trump called the attack "another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America". [74] U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi called it "heartbreaking and chilling." [75] [57] FBI director Kash Patel denounced the shooting as a "cowardly and criminal act" and confirmed the FBI was tracking the situation. [76]

Community members

In a phone interview with reporters, Sanford's father, Thomas Sanford Sr., apologized to the victims' families, saying, "I feel terrible about all the families that have been hurt and they're under the same crap that I'm going under, that my wife and I are going under. I apologize for that." When asked for insight into his son's motives, Thomas Sr. said, "The only thing I can say is that it was my son that did it. As far as why? Irrelevant. It happened. We're dealing with it. It's been a nightmare." [77] In another statement to the press, Thomas Sr. called his son a devoted family man who loved his country, and said his family was "completely in shock" over his actions. He added "we grieve our loss and those of the others" and said they were praying for the victims' families. [78] One of the Sanfords' close friends also expressed difficulty reconciling the "fun-loving family guy" she knew with his actions, saying, "How do you mourn the death of someone who did something so terrible?" Acknowledging that Sanford "harbored unkind feelings toward certain groups", the friend said, "If you asked me out of everybody I know to pick 10 people you think might do something like this, I wouldn't not pick him. And I hate saying that." [78]

Fundraisers

Online fundraisers for the widows of three church members killed in the attack reached their goals by October 2. A fourth fundraiser for the mother of two children killed in the attack was nearing its goal by the same day. Six online fundraisers were started on behalf of 11 church members wounded in the attack. [79] A joint fundraiser between the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the Community Foundation of Greater Flint was organized on behalf of the victims and affected members of the broader community with an initial donation of $250,000 by the Mott Foundation. [80]

Fiction author David J. Butler, an LDS church member from Utah, organized an online fundraiser for Sanford's family. The campaign garnered contributions from several thousands of individual donors, many of whom said they were also LDS. Butler said he was motivated by his faith to help Sanford's widow and children, especially their chronically ill son. "Jesus tells us that we should do this. We should love our enemies [...] we should mourn with those that mourn", Butler said. [81] Sanford's father expressed gratitude for the gesture, writing in a text message, "I can't find any words to express our appreciation but the right time will eventually come, thank you so much." [82] Butler said that he and Sanford's sister had a long phone conversation about how to distribute the donations to Sanford's family. "They are pretty moved that so many people have expressed love for them", he said, adding that both had wept during the conversation. [83]

The fundraiser for Sanford's family has drawn criticism according to Butler, who said he has been called "evil" and "self-aggrandizing" and told he should be raising "money for the real victims". [81] Deseret News also reported some similar responses, but said most had been "overwhelmingly positive". [79] An LDS religious scholar told reporters such "radical displays of forgiveness" have become a commonly expressed ideal over the course of the church's history, in which members have been both victims and perpetrators of religious persecution. "Holding a grudge is like holding on to a burning coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else. And it just hurts you more than it hurts them", he said, adding, "forgiveness is a way to put that down." The fundraiser's organizer said this attitude was not unique to the LDS faith, noting that members of many faiths were contributing, as well as non-believers. "I think there’s also a story here that is a human story", he said. [82]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Shooter kills at least four, wounds eight at Michigan church". Reuters . September 28, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  2. ↑ Kamp, Majlie de Puy; Gordon, Allison; Abou-Ghazala, Yahya; Tolan, Casey; Waldman, Leigh; Sottile, Zoe (September 28, 2025). "Who was Thomas Sanford, the Michigan shooting suspect". CNN. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "What we know about the victims of the LDS Michigan meetinghouse attack". The Salt Lake Tribune. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 Hernandez, Joe (September 28, 2025). "Attack at a Mormon church in Michigan leaves at least 1 dead, 9 injured". NPR . Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 "Live Updates: Michigan Church Shooting Leaves 1 Dead and 9 Injured". The New York Times . September 28, 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 "At least 2 dead and 8 others wounded after shooting and fire at Michigan church". CNN . Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hutchinson, Bill (September 29, 2025). "All victims accounted for as investigators probe motive in Michigan LDS church shooting, fire". ABC News. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 Romboy, Dennis (October 3, 2025). "Video shows police confrontation with Michigan church shooter". Deseret News. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  9. 1 2 Volmert, Isabella; Vancleave, Mark (September 29, 2025). "Death toll from attack at Michigan church stays at 4 after police sweep charred ruins". AP News. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  10. ↑ Sahouri, Andrea May; Hendrickson, Clara (September 29, 2025). "Michigan church shooting suspect went on anti-LDS tirade, political candidate said". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved September 30, 2025. The home and property of Thomas Jacob Sanford on East Atherton Road in Burton, on Sept. 29. 2025
  11. 1 2 "What we know about the victims of the LDS Michigan meetinghouse attack". The Salt Lake Tribune. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  12. 1 2 3 Arango, Tim; Patil, Anushka; Fuller, Thomas (September 29, 2025). "Michigan Church Attacker Is Said to Have Held a Grudge Against Mormons". The New York Times. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  13. ↑ Walch, Tad (September 29, 2025). "An eyewitness account from Michigan: Latter-day Saints under gunfire fought to save each other". Deseret News. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  14. ↑ White, Rose (September 29, 2025). "Michigan's tight-knit Latter-day Saint Church community reels from deadly attack". mlive. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Stake". newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. May 3, 2011. Archived from the original on August 10, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Romney to talk at open house". The Flint Journal . September 12, 1981. p. B2 – via NewsBank.
  17. ↑ Arnholt, Rosemary (April 20, 1996). "Grand Blanc Stake, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints". The Flint Journal. p. A6 – via NewsBank.
  18. ↑ Gstalter, Morgan (July 22, 2018). "At least 1 person killed after gunman opens fire in Mormon church". The Hill . Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  19. ↑ Walch, Tad. "LDS shooting update: Slain volunteer firefighter was a selfless family man". Deseret. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Shooting with multiple victims at Mormon Church in Grand Blanc, Michigan". BNO News . September 28, 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  21. ↑ Volmert, Isabella; Williams, Corey (September 28, 2025). "Gunman opens fire at Michigan church and sets it ablaze, killing at least 4 and wounding 8". AP News. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  22. ↑ Keane, Isabel (September 28, 2025). "One dead and nine more hurt after active shooter sets fire to Michigan mormon church: Latest updates". The Independent . Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  23. ↑ Ziegler, Megan (September 28, 2025). "Grand Blanc church shooting: What's known about the suspect". FOX 2 Detroit . Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  24. ↑ "One person killed and several injured after shooting and fire at Mormon church in US". Sky News . September 28, 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  25. 1 2 Holly Yan; Danya Gainor (September 29, 2025). "How the mass shooting and a devastating fire unfolded at a Michigan church". CNN. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  26. 1 2 Hutchinson, Derick (September 28, 2025). "Mass shooting at Grand Blanc Township church: Everything we know so far". WDIV-TV . Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  27. ↑ dgoetz@mlive.com, Dylan Goetz | (September 29, 2025). "How the deadly Grand Blanc Township church attack unfolded in minutes". mlive. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  28. ↑ "Live updates: Church attack leaves 2 dead, 8 injured; suspect killed in shooting". NBC News . September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  29. ↑ Charalambous, Peter (October 1, 2025). "Michigan LDS chapel shooting victims: Survivor 'ran toward' gunfire, family says". ABC News. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  30. ↑ Jackie Smith (September 28, 2025). "What we know so far about the shooting at a Michigan church". mlive. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  31. ↑ Joey Oliver (September 28, 2025). "2nd person dies after shooting at Michigan church, police say". mlive. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  32. 1 2 3 "Grand Blanc Twp. church shooting victims ranged in age from 6 to 78". Detroit Free Press. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  33. 1 2 3 Walch, Tad (October 2, 2025). "An ER doctor ran into a burning Grand Blanc church again and again". Deseret News. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  34. ↑ "2 patients remain in critical condition, doctor says". NBC News. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  35. ↑ Frazier, Kierra (September 30, 2025). "Michigan church shooting survivor says she looked gunman who killed her father in the eyes: "I forgave him right there"". CBS News. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  36. ↑ Henry, Meredith St. (October 1, 2025). "Grand Blanc Strong: The victims of the church tragedy". WNEM. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  37. ↑ Rose, Andy (October 1, 2025). "Daughters of man killed in church attack forgive shooter". ABC 12 WJRT-TV. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  38. ↑ Gardner, Paula; Erb, Robin (October 2, 2025). "Michigan church shooting: Victims identified, remembered". Bridge Michigan. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  39. ↑ "Grand Blanc Township church attack victim identified as Navy veteran, grandfather". The Detroit Free Press. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  40. ↑ Acosta, Nicole (September 30, 2025). "Michigan Mormon Church Victim ID'd as 77-Year-Old Navy Vet, Grandfather". People.com. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  41. ↑ Lourens, Magda (January 13, 2023). "Klerksdorp Record". Community reels after Michigan shooting. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  42. ↑ "What We Know About the Suspect in the Michigan Church Shooting". The New York Times . September 28, 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  43. ↑ "Burton man accused in church attack: What we know about his past". WDIV-TV. September 30, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  44. ↑ "Man suspected of killing four Latter-day Saints and setting a Michigan meetinghouse ablaze may have had a history of DUI in Utah". KTVX-TV. September 30, 2025. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  45. ↑ "Michigan suspect life after high school takes stints in Okinawa". ClarkstonNews. August 22, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  46. ↑ "High school yearbook, neighborhoods where he grew up give insights into life of Thomas Jacob Sanford". MLive Media Group . September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  47. ↑ "What we know about the Michigan church shooting suspect". USA Today . September 28, 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  48. ↑ Martinez, Luis; Margolin, Josh; Looft, Chris; Pezenik, Sasha; Fies, Andy; Perez, Alex (September 30, 2025). "Gunman in Michigan LDS chapel shooting was Marine and Iraq War veteran: Officials". ABC News. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  49. ↑ "What we know about the alleged shooter at Grand Blanc church". The Detroit News . September 28, 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  50. ↑ Burns, Gus (September 30, 2025). "He was the 'class clown' in high school. Now he's accused of killing 4 people at a Mormon church". The Flint Journal . Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  51. ↑ "What we know about the Michigan church shooter". CNN. September 28, 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  52. ↑ "Michigan church attacker's ties to Utah". KSL-TV . September 30, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  53. ↑ Volmert, Isabella; Vancleave, Mark; White, Ed (September 30, 2025). "Friends of the Michigan church shooting suspect say he long carried hatred toward Mormon faith". AP News. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  54. ↑ Sahouri, Andrea May; Hendrickson, Clara (September 29, 2025). "Thomas Jacob Sanford went on anti-LDS tirade, politician says". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  55. ↑ "Michigan church shooter was Marine veteran who White House official says "hated people of the Mormon faith"". CBS News. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  56. ↑ Robin Erb; Lauren Gibbons (September 28, 2025). "Michigan church shooting: At least 4 dead, plus suspect. Grand Blanc mourns". Bridge Michigan . Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  57. 1 2 Hutchinson, Bill; Margolin, Josh (September 28, 2025). "Multiple people shot at Michigan church: Police". ABC News . Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  58. ↑ Staff, ABC12 News (September 28, 2025). "Grand Blanc Schools, Goodrich Schools, Holy Family Catholic School closed Monday". ABC 12 WJRT-TV. Retrieved September 29, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  59. ↑ racosta1@mlive.com, Roberto Acosta | (September 29, 2025). "Multiple Genesee County schools districts closed Monday after church shooting". mlive. Retrieved September 29, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  60. ↑ "Person detained after allegedly trying to plow into barricade near Grand Blanc Twp. church". The Detroit Free Press. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  61. ↑ "Man, 21, arrested after driving through barriers at scene of Grand Blanc church shooting". The Detroit News. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  62. ↑ ""Exhaustive" investigation underway to identify a motive, source says". CNN . September 28, 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  63. ↑ "Four IEDs found in Grand Blanc Church shooter's pickup truck, ATF says". Fox News. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  64. ↑ Imlay, Ashley (September 29, 2025). "Though 'shaken' after attack, Michigan church congregation inspired by love from community". KSL.com. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  65. ↑ "Statement from Dallin H. Oaks, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles". newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  66. ↑ Schoenbaum, Hannah (October 14, 2025). "Dallin H. Oaks, former Utah Supreme Court justice, is selected to lead Mormon church". AP News. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  67. ↑ Bates, Suzanne (September 30, 2025). "Mitt Romney speaks about the tragic shooting at Latter-day Saint church in Michigan". Deseret News. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  68. ↑ Christian, Gina (September 30, 2025). "Catholic bishops mourn deadly attack on church in Michigan- UCA News". ucanews.com. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  69. ↑ John Wisely; Frank Witsil. "Grand Blanc Township church shooting live updates: What we know about victims, suspect". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  70. ↑ Rice, Nicholas (September 28, 2025). "'Multiple People Shot' as Gunman Targets Michigan Mormon Church, Later Set on Fire: 'My Heart Is Breaking,' Gov. Says". People Magazine . Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  71. ↑ Wardwell, Faith (September 29, 2025). "Whitmer urges public to turn down rhetoric as probe continues into Michigan church shooting". POLITICO. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  72. ↑ Cohen, Alan (September 29, 2025). "Gov. Whitmer calls on people to 'lower the temperature'". NBC News. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  73. ↑ "What we know about the victims of the LDS Michigan meetinghouse attack". The Salt Lake Tribune. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  74. ↑ Pilkington, Ed (September 29, 2025). "Mormon church shooting suspect had Trump sign outside home, records show". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  75. ↑ "1 dead, 9 injured in shooting and fire at Michigan church, police say". CBC News . September 28, 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  76. ↑ Lentz, Nick (September 28, 2025). "Multiple victims reported in shooting at Michigan church, suspect is "down," authorities say". CBS News . Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  77. ↑ "Father of Grand Blanc Township church shooter apologizes to victims' families". Detroit Free Press. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  78. 1 2 "Father of Grand Blanc Township church attacker releases statement". WDIV . September 30, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  79. 1 2 Hess, Jacob (October 2, 2025). "Thomas Sanford's family shares gratitude for the love following the Michigan shooting". Deseret News. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  80. ↑ Kirsch, Morgan (October 2, 2025). "Major Flint foundations launch relief fund for Grand Blanc church survivors". ABC 12 WJRT-TV. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  81. 1 2 Hutchinson, Bill (October 2, 2025). "Latter-day Saints church member raises more than $300,000 for family of gunman in deadly Michigan chapel attack". ABC News . Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  82. 1 2 Penman, Maggie (October 1, 2025). "Mormons raise $200,000 for family of gunman who attacked their church". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  83. ↑ Rao, Sonia A. (October 2, 2025). "After Michigan Church Shooting, One Man Raised $200,000 for the Suspect's Family". The New York Times. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.