Officials say Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, plunged a truck into the Latter-day Saint Church of Jesus Christ in Grand Blanc, carrying two American flags and firing fire at hundreds of worshipers.
Michigan church fire smoke seen in Grand Blanc
Police said the gunman fired at a church and fired at Grand Blanc, Michigan. These images show smoke rising from the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter-day Saint building.
- Authorities were searching for additional casualties at the burnt ruins of a Michigan church after the attack that killed four people and wounded others.
- Thomas Jacob Sanford, along with gasoline, set fire to a church building and fired it on worshippers with an attack rifle, police said.
- Sanford was killed by police in a shootout in a church parking lot.
Police were looking for more casualties in the burnt ruins of a Michigan church. Meanwhile, former Marin launched a fatal attack on a place of worship, killing at least four people and stitching together what authorities called “targeted acts of violence.”
Officials say 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford has plunged his pickup truck with two American flags at the Latter-day Saints Church of Jesus Christ in Grand Blanc, a suburb of Flint. The attackers then unloaded the truck, fired at hundreds of worshippers, and used gasoline to burn the building, authorities said. Sanford was killed in a shootout with police.
The two were fatally shot dead in the attack, and the other two bodies were found hours later in withered debris from a partially destroyed building. Of those injured in the shooting, one is in a critical state and seven are listed as stable, authorities said.
Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Lenay said the first responders are still working to find more casualties in the chapel, adding that some people remain “immeasurable.”
“We’re tirelessly trying to find additional bodies,” he said. “The whole church has not been cleared as it is a complete loss from the fire.”
The shooting is the latest to break out at places of worship this year, and comes after some high-profile “targeted” attacks. Last month, gunmen fired fire at a Catholic church in Minnesota, where hundreds of young students attended Mass, killing two children and injuring at least 17 people. In the wake of the attack, President Donald Trump called for an end to what he described as “our country’s epidemic of violence.”
The incident was one of dozens of mass shootings in Michigan this year, and was the most deadly of six mass shootings reported in the US over the weekend.
As of September 28th, 324 mass shootings have been carried out in the United States this year. This is according to The Gun Biolence Archive, a nonprofit research group that defines mass shootings as cases in which four or more people have been injured or killed in a shooting without including suspects.
Other violent incidents that erupted over the weekend included mass shootings at a bar along a river in North Carolina, where gunmen fatally shot three people and injured eight others.
– Christie Tanner, Detroit Free Press
Nearly 750 registered nurses at Henry Ford Genesees Hospital in Grand Blanc were attacked on Sunday when violence broke out at the Church of Jesus Christ in Latter-day Saints. Some say they offered to help the hospital after the deadly church shooting, but were turned away.
In a statement to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA Today network, the hospital said it cannot allow nurses to assist with “reasons for security and patient privacy.” The statement added that hospitals “can care for patients of church tragedy without any additional help.”
– Kristen Jordan Shams, Detroit Free Press
Mourners in Central Michigan gathered at the football field shortly after the shooting to pray for Grand Blanc attacks, their families and victims affected by other violent incidents around the country.
The vigil was planned several weeks ago by Genesee County Republicans in response to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The event, held at the soccer field of the Holy Savior Church in Burton, focused primarily on the deadly church rampage that broke out within ten miles.
Rev. Timothy Hicks of the Christian Love Face Center in Flint attended the all night. He said he heard the news of the shooting while leading his service in his own church and paused to lead his congregation to pray for the victims.
“You can imagine how catastrophic it is when you think that all your sudden lives are taken away by the sound of gunshots,” Hicks said.
– Tess Ware, Detroit Free Press
Several public school districts cancelled classes and after-school activities on Monday, September 29th, following a fatal attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc.
On September 28, the Grand Blanc Community School System announced a temporary closure affecting 13 campuses operated by the district. Several other school districts in Genesee County have also decided to cancel classes for the day, including Atherton Community School and Goodrich Area School.
“We know that this tragedy weighs heavily on students, staff and families. The visible policing of the entire community has created understandable distractions and anxiety,” said a statement from the Goodrich area school. “We believe that taking this day will bring together a relaxing space and family.”
Central Michigan residents expressed distrust after the fatal attack.
“I’m very shaken,” Stephanie Giddings, whose daughter was recently baptized in the chapel, told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA Today Network. “They’re family.”
Clio resident Philip Cotter was a member of Grand Blanc Church, but did not attend the morning service on the day of filming. “I know everyone there,” he said.
Tony Deck, 56, said he was sitting on the porch on the Sunday morning, September 28th, when law enforcement from various agencies flew from his home. He knew something was grossly wrong, so he jumped into his car and followed the church where he saw the suspect’s truck on fire.
“It’s a very sad day,” Deck said. “Grand Blanc is a good, quiet town and definitely not worth it.”
According to his mother’s social media posts and archived news reports, Sanford, Michigan, about eight miles north of Grand Blanc, appears to have been a US Marine veteran about eight miles north of Grand Blanc.
According to a 2007 news article in Clarkston News, after graduating from Goodrich High School in 2003, Sanford worked in Japan and Iraq.
According to photos posted on the Facebook pages of his loved ones, including his girlfriend and mother, he looked like an avid hunter and fisherman. The photo shows him with deer he harvested and camouflage hunting gear, showing the fish he caught while ice fishing.
Sanford’s son Brantley was born about 10 years ago in a rare condition known as hyperinphosphorus. There, high levels of insulin increased the risk of dangerous attacks.
Sanford is registered to vote in Burton, Michigan, but available records are not displayed when he last voted. In Michigan, voters do not register by party. Sanford’s political views are unknown, but Sanford wears a Camouflage Trump 2020 campaign shirt on a 2019 photo on a Facebook page dedicated to his son’s medical journey.
Contributions: Carissa Waddick, Dina Voyles Pulver, Tao Nggin, Joey Garrison, Chris Quintana, Dina Voyless Pulver
