Four dead, at least eight injured in shooting and fire at Michigan Mormon church

GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Michigan (AP) — A gunman opened fire inside a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Michigan during a Sunday service before apparently setting the building ablaze, killing at least four people and injuring several others before police shot him, authorities said.

Hundreds of people were inside the church in Grand Blanc Township when a 40-year-old man rammed a pickup truck through the front door, then got out of the vehicle and started shooting, Police Chief William Renye told reporters. Police believe he “deliberately” set the building on fire.

After the suspect left the church, two officers pursued him and “engaged in gunfire,” Renye said. The man was killed.

Flames and smoke could be seen pouring from the church for hours before the blaze was put out. First responders were then sifting through the wreckage.

“We do believe we will find some additional victims once we find the area where the fire was,” Renye said.

Police initially said that nine people were injured. When Renye later announced that one additional person had died from a gunshot wound at a hospital, he did not say whether that person had been included in the number of injured.

Renye later told a press conference that “a couple additional bodies” had been recovered during an ongoing search through debris at the burned-down church. “So that makes our total victim count up to four victims,” he said.

Police said they did not yet have a motive for the fire or shooting. Authorities identified the suspect as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, of the neighboring small town of Burton. The FBI is leading the investigation and considered it an “act of targeted violence,” said Ruben Coleman, a special agent in charge for the bureau.

Michigan State Police Lt. Kim Vetter said bomb threats were made at other churches in the area after officers shot and killed Sanford. No bombs were found and police were investigating the threats.

Investigators were searching Sanford’s residence but authorities did not say what they found or provide any additional details about him, including whether he was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church.

Sanford served in the Marines from June 2004 through June 2008, working as an automotive mechanic and vehicle recovery operator, according to military records obtained by The Detroit News. He was deployed to Iraq from August 2007 through March 2008 and had the rank of sergeant.

It was the latest of many shooting attacks on houses of worship in the US over the past 20 years, including one in August that killed two children during Mass at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis.

US President Donald Trump said he was briefed on the shooting. In a social media post, he applauded the FBI, who local authorities said are sending 100 agents to the area, for responding.

“PRAY for the victims, and their families. THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump wrote.

The church building, circled by a parking lot and a large lawn, is near residential areas and a Jehovah’s Witness church. It is in Grand Blanc Township, a community of roughly 40,000 people outside Flint.

Tight-knit church community

The impact spread quickly to neighboring communities, including the small city that shares a name with the township.

“Although we are two separate governmental units, we are a very cohesive community,” said city of Grand Blanc Mayor John Creasey. “This sort of thing is painful for our entire community. I’m struggling to digest all that has happened, and my heart goes out to all of the affected families.”

Timothy Jones, 48, said his family is part of another Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation, or ward, about 15 minutes away, but that his children were at the Grand Blanc Township ward the night before the shooting for a youth fall festival. He and his family moved to Flint two years ago in large part because of how strong the faith’s community is in the area.

As people in his congregation got word of the shooting from texts and phone calls during their own Sunday service, the church went into lockdown and police came as a precaution, he said. His children were “frantically, just trying to get word that people were okay.”

Sundays are “supposed to be a time of peace and a time of reflection and worship,” Jones said. Yet in the wake of violence at other houses of worship across religions, a shooting “feels inevitable, and all the more tragic because of that” he added.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement that her heart was breaking for the community. “Violence anywhere especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable,” she said.

The shooting occurred the morning after Russell M. Nelson, the oldest-ever president of the faith, died at 101. The next president is expected to be Dallin H. Oaks, per church protocol.

“The church is in communication with local law enforcement as the investigation continues and as we receive updates on the condition of those affected,” Doug Anderson, a spokesperson for Utah-based faith said in a statement.

“Places of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection. We pray for peace and healing for all involved.”

Some striking nurses at nearby Henry Ford Hospital left the picket line and ran the short distance to the church to help first responders, Teamsters Local 332 President Dan Glass said.

“Human lives matter more than our labor dispute.” Glass said.

AFP contributed to this report.