Authorities in Michigan are investigating what drove a 40-year-old Marine Corps veteran to carry out a deadly attack at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Grand Blanc Township, near Flint, on Sunday. Four people were killed and eight others injured before the suspect, identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford of Burton, Michigan, was shot dead in a gunfight with police.
Reuben Coleman, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office, described the rampage as an “act of targeted violence,” though the motive remains unclear. The FBI and local police are reviewing Sanford’s property, phone records, and interviewing family members, who are cooperating with investigators.
According to officials, Sanford — who served in the Marine Corps from 2004 to 2008, attaining the rank of sergeant — drove a pickup truck into the church carrying two American flags, opened fire on worshippers, and then set the building ablaze. Two victims were shot dead, while two others were found in the charred remains. The injured, aged 6 to 78, were hospitalised with gunshot wounds and smoke inhalation.
Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye said all worshippers had been accounted for and noted that investigators believe an accelerant such as petrol was used to ignite the fire. More than 100 people connected to the case have been interviewed.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that the FBI is exploring whether Sanford harbored anti-Mormon animosity. “All they know right now is this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith… they are trying to understand how premeditated it was, whether he left a note,” she said.
Local accounts suggest Sanford’s hostility toward the church may have been longstanding. Burton City Council candidate Kris Johns said Sanford had described members of the faith as “the antichrist” just a week before the attack.
Images of Sanford’s residence on Google Maps show a Trump campaign sign, but officials have not linked this to his actions.
The Michigan shooting is the 324th mass shooting in the U.S. in 2025, according to the Gun Violence Archive. It follows last month’s attack at a Catholic church in Minneapolis and coincides with another fatal shooting involving a 40-year-old Iraq War veteran in North Carolina.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer urged restraint against speculation: “While it might feel natural to want to know why this attack happened, speculating is unhelpful and can be downright dangerous.”
The FBI has deployed crisis response teams, bomb experts, and more than 100 agents to assist the probe. Representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stressed the sanctity of worship spaces and appealed for calm. “We pray for peace and healing for all involved,” said spokesman Doug Andersen.
