Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye talks to press at the Grand Blanc Township Police Department on Friday, Oct. 3, 2024, while releasing body camera footage from officers from the scene where a mass shooting happened on Sunday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township.

Michigan police released body camera footage from the mass shooting that left four churchgoers dead showing officers racing toward the scene and the assailant, minutes after someone made the first call for help.

Police say a gunman drove a truck through the front of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan on Sept. 28, then opened fire on the worshippers inside. The shooter then allegedly lit a fire, destroying much of the building.

The 47 seconds of video from a Grand Blanc Township officer's body camera were shown to members of the media during a news conference on Friday, Oct. 3. In the video, the officers approach the scene when a barrage of what Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said are gunshots ring out.

The officers run in the direction of the noise, the northwest part of the church's parking lot. Officers direct the alleged shooter to "drop the gun" several times, and when the assailant refuses, a Grand Blanc Township officer fires eight shots, according to Renye. Also in the video, Renye said, is a member of church congregation running the same direction as the officers with a handgun but Renye said the member did not fire his weapon.

He said he is not releasing the officers' names yet, because the Michigan State Police is in the midst of an investigation, what Renye said is standard protocol when an officer is involved in a shooting. The officers are on paid administrative leave.

"The reason why we put this out is so we can all begin to heal," said Renye, adding that the department has received a flood of public records request for video of the incident.

Police release new timeline of Michigan church shooting

Renye detailed the sequence of events that took place at the church. He said the department has had more time to review bodycam footage and conduct more investigation into the incident.

Here's the updated timeline the chief provided during the news conference:

  • 10:25:32: Genesee County 911 receives the first call stating that the caller had been shot in the stomach.
  • 10:25:48: Genesee County 911 puts out a call for service to the Grand Blanc Township Police Department.
  • 10:27:46 An officer from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources arrives on the scene.
  • 10:28:54 A Grand Blanc Township officer arrives on the scene.

The Grand Blanc Township Police Department initially reported that officers found the shooter − identified by law enforcement as Thomas Jacob Sanford — after eight minutes. But Renye on Oct. 3 said "this incident ended much shorter" than that — in three minutes and 43 seconds.

What the bodycam footage shows

The footage begins at 10:29:00 a.m. on Sept. 28. In it, the camera shows a Grand Blanc Township police officer adjusting his gun as he moves through the parking lot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on McCandlish Road.

At 10:29.02 a.m., it sounds as if about a dozen shots are fired from someone else’s gun. The officer tells dispatchers: “Shots fired … south end of the building, south end of the building.”

“I’ve got your back back there, man,” the officer says. He tells someone walking in the parking lot to “stay there.”

At 10:29.30 a.m., two shots are audible. There is an armed church member wearing a suit to the left of the scene, and it appears as if he is supporting the conservation officer confronting the gunman. At 10:29.25 a.m., the township police officer tells the man in the suit to “get back” before telling the gunman to “Drop the gun now! Drop it!” At 10:29.38 a.m., eight shots from the township police officer are then audible.

At 10:29.47, the conservation officer says: “He’s down.”

Community coming together

Township Supervisor Scott Bennett said if anyone wants to financially help the victims of the shooting, the Victim Compassion Fund set up through the EGLA credit union guarantees that 100% of the funding will go to victims. The township is aware of scams through other purported fundraisers, he said.

Bennett urged the community to gather on Oct. 7 at Don Batchelor Field in Grand Blanc for a 7 p.m. event he called a "community reflection" to support the people affected by the attack.

“We are not going to allow this incident to define our community, our response to it is what we’ll be defined by," Bennett said.

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Body cam video shows officers racing toward Michigan church shooter

Reporting by Kristen Jordan Shamus and Lily Altavena, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press

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