NEW YORK — At least four people were killed and eight others injured Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, after a gunman opened fire and set fire to a church in Grand Blanc, Michigan, authorities said.
The incident occurred early Sunday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, northwest of Detroit.
Police said two more bodies were found in the debris Sunday evening, raising the death toll to four from two earlier in the day.
Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said at a press conference that the shooter drove his car into the church during a service and opened fire with an assault rifle.
The gunman, identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, a former US Marine who served in Iraq, then set fire to the building, Renye said.
Sanford was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police at the scene, authorities said.
Investigators will search the suspect’s home and phone records to determine his motive, according to Renye.
Earlier, police said in a statement that there were multiple victims and that the church was engulfed in flames. They urged residents to avoid the area as emergency crews responded. The wounded, including children, were taken to hospitals.
US President Donald Trump said in a post on social media that he had been briefed on the “horrendous” church shooting, describing it as a targeted attack on Christians in the United States. He added that the FBI was at the scene.
“This epidemic of violence in our country must end immediately,” Trump wrote.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she was receiving updates on the shooting.
“My heart is breaking for the Grand Blanc community,” Whitmer wrote on social media. “Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable.” / XINHUA