GRAND BLANC – A Mormon church in this community was the target of a bloody terrorist massacre during Sunday services, leaving four people dead and eight others injured. The assailant, who rammed his truck into the building before opening fire on hundreds of worshipers and setting the church ablaze, was killed by police. The church was almost completely destroyed, reduced to a heap of smoldering ruins.

According to Grand Blanc Township Police, the attack took place at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Genesee County. At least two of the four victims were shot dead, while two others were pulled from beneath the rubble.

Authorities confirmed the death of the suspect, Thomas Sanford, 40, a former U.S. Marine from nearby Burton, Michigan, who was killed in the church parking lot eight minutes after the first 911 call.

“The first officers arrived within 30 seconds of the initial alert,” said William Renye, chief of the Grand Blanc Township Police. “The shooter was neutralized in the rear parking lot following an armed confrontation.”

Sanford served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2004 to 2008, including multiple deployments to Iraq. His last posting was with the Second Marine Logistics Group at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, where he left the service at the rank of sergeant. His military decorations included the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

Thomas Sanford

The attack

Investigators said Sanford drove a white Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, mounted with two large American flags, through the church’s main entrance at about 10:25 a.m. He then emerged with a semi-automatic rifle, firing into the congregation. Four improvised explosive devices were later found inside his truck.

Sanford then doused the church interior with gasoline and set it on fire, making rescue efforts nearly impossible. Aerial footage showed massive plumes of thick black smoke rising from the destroyed building.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, the Grand Blanc massacre marked the 324th mass shooting in the United States in 2025.

Governor Whitmer expressed “deep sorrow” over what she described as a tragedy.

“Violence anywhere, and especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable,” she said.

She praised the quick response of first responders.

“I am grateful for the emergency teams who acted so swiftly.”

President Trump condemned the incident as “another assault targeting Christians in the United States.”

FBI confirms anti-Mormon hate motive

Though initially described by the FBI Detroit Field Office as a “targeted act of violence”, later evidence confirmed Sanford’s religious hatred toward Mormonism. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said investigators found proof of Sanford’s bias against the faith.

Chris Jones, a candidate for Burton City Council, told reporters Sanford had personally told him that members of the Mormon faith were “followers of the Antichrist.” Jones said that when he visited Sanford’s home during campaigning, “within minutes, he redirected the conversation to the Mormons, declaring them enemies of Jesus Christ.”

The New York Times quoted Sanford’s acquaintances saying his animosity toward the Mormon faith was fueled by a failed relationship with a woman from the church while he was living in Utah before returning to Michigan in 2015.

After moving back, Sanford married another woman in Michigan in 2016, with whom he had one child. According to the New York Times, Sanford frequently insulted and denigrated Mormons in social settings, even at his own wedding.

Who are the Mormons?

Mormons are members of a Christian religious and cultural movement founded in the early 19th century by Joseph Smith, who claimed to receive divine revelation of the Book of Mormon in 1830.

Today, the LDS Church counts about seven million members in the United States, including more than two million in Utah, compared to fewer than 50,000 in Michigan, where dozens of Mormon churches exist. Globally, Mormonism has millions of followers across Latin America, particularly in Mexico and Brazil, due to its missionary outreach.

The Grand Blanc massacre occurred just hours after the death of the church’s global president, Russell M. Nelson, who passed away in Salt Lake City at the age of 101 on Saturday evening. Nelson, the 17th president of the LDS Church, was the oldest person ever to lead the denomination.

Mormon practices include tithing, family home evenings, missionary service, abstaining from alcohol, coffee and tobacco and strict sexual morality. While the church officially banned polygamy in 1890, breakaway fundamentalist groups still practice it. The LDS Church emphasizes strong family bonds, hospitality and large households.