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6h ago

Records Show Michigan Church Gunman Phoned Fake Bomb Threats to Divert Police Minutes Before Attack

GPS data and dispatch audio link the threats to Thomas Jacob Sanford, underscoring a targeted anti‑Mormon motive.

Law enforcement officials stand on Sept. 29, 2025, next to the vehicle used to ram the exterior of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Mich.
GRAND BLANC, MICHIGAN - OCTOBER 7: A memorial is set up for victims outside the remains of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following a shooting and fire, on October 7, 2025 in Grand Blanc, Michigan. A man crashed his vehicle into the church on September 28 and then opened fire, killing four people, wounding at least eight others and setting the church on fire. The gunman was killed by police. (Photo by Emily Elconin/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Newly released 911 audio and police reports show Sanford called in bomb threats to a Catholic church, a Christian Reformed church and a Jewish temple minutes before the Grand Blanc LDS attack.
  • Investigators traced the call to within about a mile of the chapel, and the police chief said the threats were meant to divert law enforcement resources.
  • Sanford rammed his pickup into the building, opened fire with a rifle and set the church on fire, killing four worshippers and injuring eight; two victims were shot and two died in the fire.
  • A use‑of‑force report says officers fired seven rounds during the parking‑lot confrontation that ended with Sanford’s death, though accounts differ on who fired the fatal shot.
  • The FBI has attributed the assault to anti‑Mormon animus, and the 911 recording captured what sounded like vehicle exhaust as the caller delivered the threats.