At least 4 killed, 8 injured in shooting at Michigan church
Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye told reporters there was a total of “five deceased persons from this tragic incident” so far, including the suspect, who was killed in a gunfight with police.
“We do not have names of victims at this time,” the Grand Blanc Township Police Department said in a statement.
The 40-year-old suspect drove his vehicle through the front doors of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before exiting and “firing several rounds at individuals within the church,” according to the police chief.
Michigan authorities have identified the suspect as Thomas Jacob Sanford, a former US marine and Iraq war veteran from the neighboring city of Burton.
“The service was active. There were hundreds of people within the church,” Renye said.
“There was a fire that occurred, and we believe that it was deliberately set by the suspect,” Renye said.
US President Donald Trump said he has been briefed on the “horrendous shooting” and labeled it as a “targeted attack” on Christians and the US.
“This epidemic of violence in our country must end, immediately,” he wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are assisting local authorities in the investigation.
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