What we know about the deadly Michigan church shooting and fire
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Police officers on Monday survey the remains of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, following a shooting and fire there a day earlier. Photo: Emily Elconin/Getty Images
A mass shooting and suspected arson at a Michigan church during a packed Sunday service killed four people and injured eight others, officials said.
The big picture: An FBI official leading the investigation called the incident at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc an "act of targeted violence," after officials said the suspect, who later died, drove a pickup truck into the building before opening fire and then lighting the fire.
The latest: Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said at a Monday briefing: "We are still in the process of clearing the church, but everyone has been accounted for."
Situation report: One of victims was in critical condition and the seven others hospitalized were in stable condition following the attack in Grand Blanc, which is about seven miles from Flint, Michigan, Renye said at a briefing on Sunday evening.
- Five of the eight people injured, whose ages range from 6 to 78, were shot and the other three suffered smoke inhalation, according to Renye.
State of play: Renye identified the suspect as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, a former U.S. Marine and Iraq war veteran from nearby Burton, who died at the scene after being shot by police, officials said.
- The suspect used an assault rifle in the attack, Renye told reporters.
- Investigators believe the fire in the chapel was deliberately set by the suspect, likely using gasoline, said James Deir, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Detroit Field Division, at a Sunday night briefing.
- "I will confirm that there were some suspected explosive devices that were located," Deir said at the news conference Sunday night. "But as far as using them to initiate the blaze, we can't say that."
Zoom in: Renye at the Sunday evening briefing praised worshippers for their heroism during the attack.
- "They were shielding the children who were also present within the church, moving them to safety," he said. "Just hundreds of people just practicing their faith. Just extreme courage."
What we're watching: As law enforcement searched for a motive for the attack, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Monday that investigators were looking into how much planning went into the attack.
- "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," Leavitt said on "Fox and Friends."
What they're saying: President Trump said on Truth Social Sunday the tragedy appeared to be "yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States."
- Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement Sunday that "violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable."
Of note: The shooting came one day after Russell M. Nelson, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who was revered as a prophet in the faith, died at 101.
- Doug Andersen, a spokesperson for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said in a statement on the "tragic act of violence" that "[p]laces of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection."
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
