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Death Toll Stays at 4 in Michigan LDS Church Attack as FBI Leads Investigation

FBI investigators have taken charge of determining why the chapel was attacked.

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Emergency crews respond to a shooting and fire at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Grand Blanc, Mich., Sept. 28, 2025. (David Guralnick/Detroit News via AP)
A vehicle that was rammed into the building is surrounded by smoke as a firefighter works on the scene at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Mich., Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025.
A 40-year-old man from Burton was suspected to be behind the Michigan church shooting, authorities shared, adding that the suspect was dead.

Overview

  • Police said a sweep of the burned Grand Blanc Township chapel found no additional victims, confirming four dead and eight wounded.
  • The gunman, identified as 40-year-old former Marine Thomas Jacob Sanford of Burton, was shot and killed by responding officers about eight minutes after the first 911 calls.
  • Investigators say the attacker rammed a pickup into the building, opened fire on worshippers, and set the church ablaze with gasoline, and suspected explosive devices were found at the scene.
  • Authorities described the chapel as a total loss, and officials reported the injured ranged in age from 6 to 78 as community members and nearby hospital staff aided evacuations and treatment.
  • The FBI is probing motive with ATF support, reviewing potential threats and the incident’s timing following the death of church president Russell M. Nelson, as more than 100 federal agents assist local police.