At least five people died — including an alleged shooter — and eight others were wounded Sunday when a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in Michigan came under attack, law enforcement officials said.
The Grand Blanc church also caught fire during the morning attack and is “a total loss,” officials said Sunday night.
Law enforcement officials also responded to several bomb threats Sunday evening, including some that were at churches, Michigan State Police Lt. Kim Vetter said. Those buildings had been cleared, she said.
Soon after the violence broke out Sunday morning at the Grand Blanc meetinghouse, the township’s Police Department posted to social media: “[There] has been an active shooter at the church of Latter-day Saints on McCandlish Rd. There are multiple victims and the shooter is down, There is NO threat to the public at this time.”
Officials said a man, at around 10:25 a.m., drove a vehicle into the church, started shooting and also set the building ablaze.
Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said at a news conference Sunday afternoon that officers arrived at the chapel in less than a minute, and around eight minutes later, the alleged gunman — 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford of Burton, Michigan — was killed by responding officers.
(Carlos Osorio | AP) Fire and law enforcement officers stand outside a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc, Michigan.
(Carlos Osorio | AP) Fire and law enforcement officers stand outside a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc, Michigan.
Four people were killed in the attack, Renye said at a separate news conference Sunday night. Two of the victims were shot, while two others were found after officials were able to enter the destroyed church.
Renye said that Sanford was “neutralized” by the two officers in the back parking lot of the church.
That meetinghouse has not yet been fully cleared, the chief said, and there are still an unknown number of people who were unaccounted for.
“I’m confident that we’re going to overcome this,” Renye said, “as Grand Blanc always overcomes these types of incidents.”
Reuben Coleman, the acting FBI special agent in charge, said the federal agency was now leading the investigation and called the attack an act of “targeted violence.” Members of the FBI’s evidence response team, SWAT, bomb technicians and victim specialists had responded to the scene, he added.
Special Agent James Deir, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said an initial investigation found that the alleged attacker used gasoline to light the church on fire and that “some suspected explosive devices” were found.
“This scene is actively being investigated by ATF,” Deir said, and a cadre of fire investigators are traveling to Michigan to help.
‘Entire church is on fire’
Earlier in the day, law enforcement officials, according to the Detroit Free Press, also feared additional victims may have been trapped inside the burning church.
“The entire church is on fire,” Genessee County Sheriff Christopher Swanson said in a video message posted to social media earlier in the day. Police officials later said the blaze had been contained.
“My heart is breaking for the Grand Blanc community,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement. “Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable.”
FBI Director Kash Patel condemned the attack.
“Violence in a place of worship is a cowardly and criminal act,” Patel posted on social media. “Our prayers are with the victims and their families during this terrible tragedy.”
(Jose Juarez | AP) Law enforcement guard along McCandlish Road near a shooting that took place at a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Grand Blanc, Michigan.
President Donald Trump, in a social media post, said the shooting “appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States.”
“In the meantime,” he added, “PRAY for the victims and their families.”
Doug Andersen, spokesperson for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, lamented the attack, saying "places of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection. We pray for peace and healing for all involved.”
Andersen also said in a news release that the “church is in communication with local law enforcement as the investigation continues and as we receive updates on the condition of those affected. We offer thanks to the emergency responders who are assisting victims and families.“
The Salt Lake City-based church is “deeply grateful for the outpouring of prayers and concern from so many people around the world,” he added. “In moments of sorrow and uncertainty, we find strength and comfort through our faith in Jesus Christ.”
The Grand Blanc church is located about 12 miles south of Flint. Grand Blanc’s population was 7,784 as of the 2020 U.S. census.
Michigan is home to nearly 50,000 Latter-day Saints, according to church membership data, and about 100 congregations, along with a temple in Detroit and construction of another temple in Grand Rapids.
‘We’re still in shock’
Becca Wilson Jones, a Latter-day Saint who attends church in neighboring Flint, first noticed something was off when the leaders of her congregation exited the chapel halfway through services.
She stepped out herself around 10:40 a.m. with plans to drive her daughter home early for unrelated reasons. When she did, she found the building was on lockdown. Another woman in the foyer broke the news about the shooting and fire.
“We’re still in shock,” Jones told The Salt Lake Tribune on Sunday afternoon, explaining that the two congregations are closely knit, particularly the young people.
Panic spread as members of the Flint congregation tried to reach friends and family attending the Grand Blanc building. A woman Jones was with learned that her teenage kids had fled the building and hidden in the nearby woods.
Not everyone, however, was fortunate enough to escape.
“We personally know somebody,” Jones said, “who lost someone.”
Jones said she did not hear of anyone who had information about the alleged shooter and arsonist.
Tony Deck, a Grand Blanc resident who lives near the church, told the Detroit Free Press he drove to church when he heard sirens, at around 10:15 a.m., to see if he could help.
“There was a silver Chevy Silverado that had been driven into the side of the church — not even through the doors,“ Deck said. ”... It’s solid brick."
During Sunday night’s news conference, Renye took a moment to acknowledge the “heroism” of not only the first responders, but the hundreds of Latter-day Saints inside the building who were “just practicing their faith” at the time of the attack.
“They were shielding the children who were also present within the church — moving them to safety," the police chief said. “Extreme courage, brave, and that’s the type of community that we are.”
News of the shooting and fire came the morning after the death of President Russell M. Nelson, the 101-year-old leader of the global faith of 17.5 million members.