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Bodycam Shows Police Confront and Kill Suspect in Michigan LDS Church Attack

Investigators are treating the case as targeted violence as they review motive.

Overview

  • Grand Blanc Township police released body‑worn camera video showing officers shouting commands and firing at least eight rounds before fatally shooting 40‑year‑old Thomas Jacob Sanford in the church parking lot.
  • Authorities say Sanford rammed a pickup into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints meetinghouse, opened fire and set the building on fire, killing four people and injuring eight others.
  • Michigan State Police are investigating the officer‑involved shooting, and the involved officers are on paid administrative leave pending the review.
  • The FBI continues to probe motive after labeling the incident targeted violence; records identify Sanford as a former Marine (2004–2008), and acquaintances and officials have reported his hostile views toward Latter‑day Saints.
  • Community support and fundraising for victims and families are ongoing, interfaith groups have held vigils, and recent reporting places the attack within a broader pattern of anti‑LDS bias documented in federal hate‑crime data.