A gunman opened fire inside a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Grand Blanc, Michigan during a Sunday service on September 28 and set the building ablaze, killing at least four people and injuring eight others. Police shot and killed the suspect, authorities said.
Hundreds of people were inside the church in Grand Blanc Township when a man rammed a four-door pickup with two American flags in the truck bed through the front door, then got out of the vehicle and started shooting, Police Chief William Renye told reporters. Investigators believe he "deliberately" set the building on fire, Renye said.
Officers responded to a 911 call and were at the church within 30 seconds and killed the shooter about eight minutes later, Renye said. After the suspect left the church, two officers pursued him and "engaged in gunfire," the chief said. Flames and smoke could be seen pouring from the church for hours before the blaze was put out.
Renye identified the suspect as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, from neighboring Burton. Reyne did not specify a motive at a news conference on Sunday evening. Police cordoned off the street leading to the suspect’s home.
Renye said one of the wounded people was in critical condition Sunday evening and seven others were stable. The bodies of two of the victims were found as authorities searched the debris in the church, Renye said, emphasizing the search was continuing and that more victims could be found. Earlier in the day, Renye had said authorities believed they would find more victims once they could sift through the wreckage and find where the fire was. The motive was not yet clear.
Investigators were searching the suspect’s residence in nearby Burton. Authorities did not provide any additional details about the suspect, including whether he was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church. The church building, circled by a parking lot and a large lawn, is near residential areas and a Jehovah’s Witness church.
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.
President Donald Trump said in a social media post that he was briefed on the shooting and applauded the FBI for its response. Local authorities said the FBI was sending 100 agents to Grand Blanc Township, a community of roughly 40,000 people outside Flint.
“PRAY for the victims, and their families. THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump wrote.