Grand Blanc Township — Ten people were shot, two fatally, late Sunday morning at a Mormon church in Grand Blanc Township after a Genesee County man allegedly rammed his truck through the church’s entrance and opened fire, while two other bodies were discovered in the remains of a fire at the church.
Authorities named Thomas Jacob Sanford, a 40-year-old man from Burton, as the suspect accused of setting fire to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4285 McCandlish Road. After authorities responded to the scene, the suspect was killed at the church. Grand Blanc Township is about 50 miles north of Detroit.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said late Sunday it is now leading the investigation into the shooting and fire. The event is being investigated as an act of “targeted violence,” said Reuben Coleman, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office.
“This act of violence has no place in our state or anywhere else in our country,” Coleman said.
James Deir, special agent in charge of the ATF’s Detroit Field Division, said there were some suspected explosive devices located, but he said he could not say whether they were used to start the blaze.
“All indications on this investigation are the suspect used an accelerant of some sort, we believe gasoline, and lit the church on fire,” Deir said.
Two bodies were found during the cleanup of the Mormon church after the fire, Police Chief William Renye said at a Sunday night press conference.
Of the shooting survivors, seven victims were in stable condition and one was in critical condition Sunday evening.
Authorities said earlier Sunday that there could be more victims related to the fire that have not yet been found. They said there is no ongoing threat to the public, but urged people to avoid the area.
“We do believe there were people up there that were near that fire, and they were unable to get out of the church,” said Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye.
Renye said police responded to the scene less than 30 seconds after receiving the call at 10:25 a.m. during a service when hundreds of people were inside. Sanford was “neutralized” at 10:33 a.m. in the parking lot of the church, he said.
A police officer from Grand Blanc Township and a conservation officer with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources engaged in gunfire with the suspect and shot him, Renye said. The suspect used an assault rifle, he said.
“We’re going to find if there was a motive,” Renye said.
Firefighters said on dispatch audio that they heard voices when the church roof collapsed, and they were going back in to get the people. They also warned that ammunition was going off inside.
Aerial photos taken early Sunday afternoon showed the church’s charred remains with a beige truck with two large American flags staked to the back near the church’s front entrance. Much of the red brick church appears to have been destroyed by the fire.
The number of Renye initially confirmed one fatality from the shooting at a noon press conference, but later, in a social media post Sunday afternoon, the chief said that a second gunshot victim had died at a local hospital. At an 8 p.m. press conference, the total was increased to four victims dead, after two additional bodies were found in the rubble.
“I don’t know how many people are unaccounted for at this time,” he said. “We do know there are some that are unaccounted for.”
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the FBI at (800) CALL-FBI.
Michigan State Police Special Lt. Kim Vetter said several other locations, including multiple local churches, were searched this evening based on additional bomb threats.
“We’ve received 911 calls about bomb threats or other indications that there was a bomb at a different location, some of them were churches, and we’ve responded and cleared those locations,” Vetter said.
Vetter said it will take some time to determine the motive of the shooter.
Doug Andersen, a spokesman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, called the incident a “tragic act of violence” and thanked emergency responders.
“We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of prayers and concern from so many people around the world,” Andersen said. “In moments of sorrow and uncertainty, we find strength and comfort through our faith in Jesus Christ. Places of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection. We pray for peace and healing for all involved.”
The Genesee County Republican Party hosted a candlelight prayer vigil Sunday evening at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church.The event had been planned for weeks and was originally billed as a memorial to Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist killed on stage in Utah, and other recent tragedies, party Secretary April Snyder said. Participants opened the event to include prayers for the victims of the Mormon church shooting in the morning.“We did this for everyone,” Snyder said. “With the events that happened this morning, it’s taken on a different meaning for us.”
U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, a Bay City Democrat, attended the vigil. McDonald Rivet said she did so because it was extended to include prayers for the local victims and because gun violence affects people across party lines.“This is a uniquely American problem that is devastating our community, and we all have to come together to solve it,” she said.
A variety of faiths sent their prayers for the victims.
Below is a statement from Rabbi Moshe Hauer, executive vice president at the Orthodox Union on the attack earlier today. The OU is the largest umbrella organization for Orthodox Jews in the US.
“The Orthodox Union joins with our dear friends in the Mormon community and with all Americans in mourning the victims of the senseless and horrifying attack on the Church of Latter-Day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan,” Rabbi Moshe Hauer, executive vice president at the Orthodox Union, said in a Sunday statement.
“Today’s attacker did not satisfy his hatred with the intentional murder of those engaged in worship; he set the entire house of prayer ablaze. It is devastating to see yet another outburst of violent hatred against faith and its practitioners, precisely as so many in our blessed country are turning to focus more on God, prayer, love for each other, and our shared religious and moral values.
“Our hearts have again been broken, but our resolve is even stronger to stand together with all Americans against hate.”
The national and Michigan chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations also condemned the violence.
“We extend our condolences to the families of the victims of today’s heinous attack on another house of worship, and we pray that God grants healing to those injured,” CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said in a statement. “Given the frequency of violence and vandalism targeting houses of worship, we encourage community leaders to review their security precautions. From 24/7 security cameras to armed security to an emergency evacuation plan, there are many practical steps that all mosques and other houses of worship should take to make their institutions as safe as possible.”
“An attack on a church or any other house of worship is an attack on Americans of all faiths,” CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid said. “Religious and political leaders must do everything we can to protect their communities from these senseless attacks.”
Hours after the shooting and fire, the Michigan State Police’s bomb squad was staged on East Atherton Road in Burton. Multiple State Police SUVs surrounded the area, and it was blocked off with police tape.The bomb squad deployed a silver three-foot robot and hauled in heavy equipment to the scene. It was unclear what the robot was for and at what address it was targeting.
The robot rolled down the street through the parked bomb squad vehicles. An MSP helicopter was also flying over the bomb squad.
Randy Thronson, 71, lives a few doors down from Sanford. Thronson said Sanford was a good neighbor who plowed Thronson’s and others’ driveways for free. Thronson served in the military for 25 years and said Sanford also was a veteran. “It’s really sad,” Thronson said. “He might have just snapped.”
Thronson said Sanford lived with his wife, at least one kid, and maybe his mother.
Grand Blanc Township Supervisor Scott Bennett was among those at the scene expressing shock. “We are heartbroken. This kind of violence doesn’t happen in our community,” Bennett said.
Grand Blanc Community Schools said schools would be closed Monday.
Grand Blanc Police Chief gives update to church shooting
Chief William Renye gave details on the shooting at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: ‘I know that our community is hurting right now’
Mike Pate, 44, lives near the alleged attacker. He saw the bomb squad as he drove by and stopped to watch them work.“(It’s) surreal, having stuff happen this close to us,” he said. “When you see stuff on the news, it seems so far away.”,
In a statement Sunday afternoon, the Henry Ford Genesys Hospital system said it had cared for as many as nine individuals injured in the church shooting and fire.
The hospital is fully staffed, according to the health system, “and we are grateful to our team members who continue to care for all our patients at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital.”
“Our hearts go out to our patients, their families, and the community — including the people worshipping when the tragic act of violence occurred,” the hospital system said.
The hospital was on lockdown most of the morning because of the shooting. The lockdown was lifted at 1 p.m.
Multiple people were shot at a Grand Blanc church Sunday
Shooting was at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc and the shooter set the building on fire, police said on social media.
As authorities gathered on the scene with smoke still filling the air before noon Sunday, dozens of family members came together at a makeshift reunification site at a nearby movie theater on Holly Road across the street from the church. Some hugged one another and cried.
Nicole McDaniel of Grand Blanc was waiting outside Trillium Theater for her daughter, 8, who was in the church with a neighbor when the shooting happened.
“My neighbor just said she heard a big (boom) and she grabbed the girls,” McDaniel said.
A neighbor called her when they were out of the church, and she talked to her daughter.
“She’s just very traumatized; she didn’t say anything else,” McDaniel said.
Families seeking to reunify with loved ones they believe were at the church should contact the Red Cross at (248) 705-7352, Renye said.
Good Samaritans, meanwhile, brought bottles of water for the families and service dogs for emotional support.
FBI on scene
Investigators from the FBI responded quickly to the scene of the shooting. Renye said as many as 100 FBI agents were helping with the investigation.
FBI Director Kash Patel said on social media the bureau was tracking reports of the “horrific shooting and fire.”
“Violence in a place of worship is a cowardly and criminal act. Our prayers are with the victims and their families during this terrible tragedy,” Patel said.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said on social media that her “heart was breaking for the Grand Blanc community.
“Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable,” Whitmer said. “I am grateful for the first responders who took action quickly.”
Sen. John Cherry, D-Flint, issued a statement decrying the attack and saying he hoped the people of the community could support one another and heal.
“To terrorize people in a place of worship, where their hopes are highest and their faith strongest, is particularly sickening and has rocked our entire community,” Cherry said.
Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald issued a statement calling gun violence “a public health crisis.”
“My heart goes out to the victims of the tragic shooting at Grand Blanc’s LDS church. But sympathy is not enough,” McDonald said. “We have an obligation to find solutions to this deadly problem, so that everyone can be safe at church, school, and other public places.”
U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City, said in a statement she was “beyond devastated by the shooting” and she is praying for the victims.
“This kind of violence in a place of worship is despicable,” McDonald Rivet said.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township describes itself on its website as a place where “a community of people who are trying to be more Christlike” can “learn from each other.”
It’s unclear when the church was founded or how many members it has.
Its website says it offers two meeting times. The main meeting is called a sacrament meeting, which consists of songs, prayers and sermons (or “talks”) given by different members of the congregation who also take the sacrament (or Communion).
In addition to the sacrament meeting, there are a variety of other classes for both children and adults.
“There’s something for everyone from 18 months old and up! Each meet together for a lesson and discussion that are based on a different section of scripture each week,” according to the church’s website.
The shooting and fire in Grand Blanc is the latest to target a church in Michigan.
In late June, a man dressed in tactical gear with guns targeted a church in Wayne before he was killed by church security.
The shooting happened at CrossPointe Community Church. Brian Browning, who police say had an AR-15 style rifle, had more than a dozen fully loaded magazines and a semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine before he was spotted by church staff and security and killed.
About 150 people were in attendance at the time of the incident, including many children.
After the shooting, Wayne police said Browning’s mother was a member of CrossPointe Community Church, and he attended services there a few times the past year.
Staff Writer Carol Thompson contributed.
First Appeared on
Source link
