Smoke and fire rise at the site following an attack on a church in Grand Blanc, Michigan, that killed two people on September 28, 2025.
Emergency services are seen near the intersection of Holly Road and McCandlish Road in Grand Blanc on Sunday, Sept 28, 2025.
A member of the FBI speaks to children as outside of NCG Trillium Cinema, which is acting as a reunification center in Grand Blanc following an shooting and a fire at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025.

The former Marine who attacked and burned a central Michigan house of worship, killing four, had ranted against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints a week before his deadly assault, a local politican told the Detroit Free Press.

Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, called Mormons "the Antichrist," Kris Johns, a candidate for the local Burton City Council, told the newspaper, part of the USA TODAY Network.

“It was very much standard anti-LDS talking points that you would find on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook," said Johns, who has spoken with local police and the FBI.

Police were searching on Sept. 29 for more possible victims amid the charred ruins of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, a suburb of Flint. Authorities called Sanford's attack, which killed at least four people and wounded eight others, an "act of targeted violence."

Officials said Sanford rammed a pickup truck bearing two American flags into the church on Sunday, Sept. 28, opened fire on hundreds of worshippers and used gasoline to set the building ablaze. He was killed in a gunfight with police.

Two people were fatally shot in the attack, and the bodies of two others were found hours later amid blackened debris of the destroyed building. Of those injured in the shooting, one person was in critical condition and seven were listed as stable, authorities said.

Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said first responders were still working to find more victims in the chapel, adding that some people remain "unaccounted for."

The shooting was the latest to break out at a place of worship this year and comes after several other high-profile "targeted" attacks. Last month, a gunman opened fire at a Catholic church in Minnesota where hundreds of young students were attending Mass, killing two children and wounding at least 17 people. In the wake of the shooting, President Donald Trump called for an end to what he described as an "epidemic of violence in our country."

Officials to provide more information at upcoming news conference

Authorities in Grand Blanc, Michigan, are set to discuss the ongoing investigation into the deadly shooting and arson that killed four people at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Grand Blanc Township Police Department said there will be a news conference at 12:30 p.m. in which federal and local officials will discuss the latest updates in the case.

The FBI assumed control over the investigation and is probing the rampage as an “act of targeted violence.”

Shooting suspect served in the Marines, was deployed to Iraq

The U.S. Marine Corps confirmed that Sanford served in the corps between 2004 and 2008, where he held the rank of sergeant and worked as an Organizational Automotive Mechanic and Vehicle Recovery Operator.

Sanford was deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom for just over six months ending in early 2008. He was awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.

His last assignment was to a maintenance battalion in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

– Will Carless

Shooting suspect went on anti-Mormon tirade, political candidate says

About a week before the deadly shooting at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, the alleged gunman went on a tirade against the church and described Mormons as "the antichrist," according to Burton City Council candidate Kris Johns.

Johns told the Detroit Free Press that he spoke with Sanford while he was canvassing in Burton. He described Sanford as outgoing, polite, and "extremely friendly" and added that his animosity toward the church didn't seem violent.

“It was very much standard anti-LDS talking points that you would find on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook," said Johns, who has spoken with local police and the FBI.

The candidate also said he spoke with Sanford about their children, the second amendment, Sanford's time in the military and his issues with drug addiction. Their conversation never divulged into politics or current events, Johns said – "there was no mention of anything right or left, blue or red.” But Johns did says he spotted a Trump 2024 sign on the suspect's fence.

– Andrea May Sahouri, Detroit Free Press

Church attack among several mass shootings over the weekend

The incident was one of a dozen mass shootings in Michigan this year and the deadliest among six mass shootings reported in the U.S. over the weekend.

As of Sept. 28, there have been 324 mass shootings this year in the U.S., according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research group that defines a mass shooting as an incident where four or more people are injured or killed by gunfire, not including the suspect.

Other violent incidents that erupted over the weekend include a mass shooting at a riverside bar in North Carolina where a gunman fatally shot three people and wounded eight others.

– Kristi Tanner, Detroit Free Press

Striking nurses barred from aiding church shooting victims

Nearly 750 registered nurses at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc were on strike Sunday when violence erupted at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some said they offered to help the hospital after the deadly church shooting but were turned away.

In a statement to The Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, the hospital said it couldn’t allow the nurses to assist for “security and patient privacy reasons.” The statement added that the hospital was “able to care for the patients from the church tragedy without additional help.”

– Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press

'Devastating': Residents, clergy gather at vigil for victims of church attack

Mourners across central Michigan gathered on a football field shortly after the shooting to pray for the victims in the Grand Blanc attack, their families and those impacted by other violent incidents across the country.

The vigil was planned weeks ago by the Genesee County Republican Party as a reaction to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The event, which was held on the football field of Holy Redeemer Church in Burton, focused primarily on the deadly church rampage that broke out less than 10 miles away.

Pastor Timothy Hicks of Christian Love Faith Center in Flint attended the vigil. He said he heard the news of the shooting while leading service at his own church and paused to lead his congregation in praying for the victims.

“You can only imagine how devastating it is when you think you’re in a place of safety, a place of worship and then all of a sudden lives are taken at the sound of a gunshot,” Hicks said.

– Tess Ware, Detroit Free Press

Schools cancel classes following deadly church attack

Multiple public school districts canceled classes and after-school activities on Monday, Sept. 29, in the aftermath of the deadly attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc.

The Grand Blanc Community Schools System on Sept. 28 announced the temporary closure that will impact 13 campuses operated by the district. Several other school districts in Genesee County also decided to cancel classes for the day, including Atherton Community Schools and Goodrich Area Schools.

"We know this tragedy has weighed heavily on our students, staff, and families. The visible police activity throughout the community has created understandable distraction and unease,” said a statement from Goodrich Area Schools. “We believe taking this day will allow space for healing and for families to be together."

'I know everyone who was there': Residents in shock after church shooting

Central Michigan residents expressed disbelief in the wake of the deadly attack.

"I am very shaken up," Stephanie Giddings, whose daughter had recently been baptized at the chapel, told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. "They're family."

Phillip Cotter, a Clio resident, was a member of the Grand Blanc church but didn't attend morning services the day of the shooting. "I know everyone who was there," he said, choking up with emotion as tears welled in his eyes.

Tony Deck, 56, said he was sitting on the porch Sunday morning, Sept. 28, when law enforcement vehicles from various agencies flew by his home. He said he knew something was gravely wrong, so he jumped in his car and followed them to the church, where he saw the suspect’s truck burning, the bodies of the dead and first responders arriving with gurneys and rescue gear.

"It’s an extremely sad day," said Deck. "Grand Blanc is a good and quiet town and definitely doesn’t deserve this."

What we know about Thomas Sanford, Michigan church shooting suspect

Sanford, of Burto, Michigan, about eight miles north of Grand Blanc, appears to have been an veteran of the U.S. Marines, according to his mothers' social media posts and archived news reports.

Sanford did stints in Japan and Iraq after graduating from Goodrich High School in 2003, according to a 2007 news article from the Clarkston News.

He appeared to be an avid hunter and fisherman, according to photos posted on Facebook pages of his loved ones, including his girlfriend and mother. Photos show him in camouflage hunting gear with deer he had harvested, and fish he'd caught while ice fishing.

Sanford's son Brantlee was born about a decade ago with a rare condition called hyperinulinism, where high levels of insulin increase the risk of dangerous seizures.

Sanford is registered to vote in Burton, Michigan, but available records do not show when he last voted. In Michigan, voters do not register by party. Although Sanford’s political views are unclear, Sanford is seen wearing a camouflage Trump 2020 campaign shirt in a 2019 photo from a Facebook page dedicated to his son’s medical journey.

Contributing: Karissa Waddick, Dinah Voyles Pulver, Thao Nguyen, Joey Garrison, Chris Quintana and Dinah Voyles Pulver

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gunman railed against Mormons before church assault that killed four. Live updates

Reporting by Christopher Cann and Kristen Jordan Shamus, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect