A gunman launched a ferocious assault on a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this Detroit suburb on Sunday, claiming four lives and injuring multiple others in a barrage of gunfire followed by arson, according to local authorities. The incident, which unfolded amid a gathering of hundreds of worshippers, has been condemned by U.S. President Donald Trump as emblematic of the nation’s escalating “epidemic of violence.”
The attack began around midday when the perpetrator, identified by police as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, plowed his truck into the side of the church building before unleashing shots from an assault rifle. He then ignited the structure, reducing much of it to smoldering ruins. First responders arrived swiftly, neutralizing the threat in the parking lot just eight minutes after the initial distress call.
Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye detailed the grim toll at a briefing: two victims were pronounced dead at the scene, with two additional bodies later retrieved from the charred debris as recovery operations continued. Eight survivors suffered gunshot wounds, including one in critical condition. “This was a targeted act of violence,” affirmed FBI Special Agent Reuben Coleman, whose agency has assumed lead on the probe.
Sanford, a local native and military veteran according to U.S. media reports, was killed in the ensuing confrontation with officers. AFP correspondents observed a heavy law enforcement cordon at his nearby residence in Burton, underscoring the rapid mobilization to secure the area.
Aerial footage captured by witnesses, including Julie J via X and credited to AP, depicted towering flames and thick smoke billowing from the site, located roughly 80 kilometers north of Detroit in the Flint suburb. The assailant’s vehicle, adorned with two American flags in the rear, remained lodged in the facade amid the wreckage, as documented in Reuters images of emergency crews at work.
The violence erupted as the church mourned the passing of its 101-year-old leader the night before. In a statement posted on X, the faith established in 1830 and headquartered in Utah with a global following in the millions lamented the “tragic act of violence.” It emphasized that “places of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection,” extending prayers for all affected.
President Trump decried the episode as “horrendous,” framing it within a surge of assaults on Christians nationwide. The episode follows a string of recent atrocities: the assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk in Utah, a fatal shooting at a Texas immigration center, and a Minnesota church-school massacre last month that killed two children during Mass and maimed several more. With guns widely accessible, the U.S. grapples with a persistent legacy of such carnage, now intensified by deepening political rifts.
As investigators sift through the ashes for further evidence and victims, the community braces for revelations about the motive behind this brazen desecration of a sacred space.
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