Shooter kills four civilians, harm eight at Michigan church

(MENAFN) At least four people were killed and eight others wounded when a gunman opened fire at a Mormon church in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, on Sunday morning, according to police reports.

Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye said additional victims were discovered inside the church, confirming a total of “five deceased persons from this tragic incident” so far, including the suspect, who was killed in a gunfight with law enforcement.

“We do not have names of victims at this time,” the Grand Blanc Township Police Department stated earlier.

Authorities identified the 40-year-old suspect as Thomas Jacob Sanford, a former US Marine and Iraq war veteran from nearby Burton. Renye explained that the suspect drove his vehicle through the front doors of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before exiting and “firing several rounds at individuals within the church.”

Hundreds of people were reportedly present during the service. A fire broke out during the incident, which police later confirmed had been contained. “There was a fire that occurred, and we believe that it was deliberately set by the suspect,” Renye said.

Officials plan to search Sanford’s residence and continue investigating the motive behind the attack.

US President Donald Trump commented on the incident, describing it as a “horrendous shooting” and a “targeted attack” on Christians and the US. “This epidemic of violence in our country must end, immediately,” he wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

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