September 29, 2025
Web desk
On September 28, a deadly assault targeted a Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, adding to a troubling series of shootings at religious institutions across the U.S.
The attacker, identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, drove a pickup truck into the church, opened fire during a service attended by hundreds, and set the building ablaze with gasoline. Responding officers engaged the perpetrator within eight minutes; he was shot and killed on site.
At least four people died and eight others were injured in the combined shooting and fire. Two additional bodies were found in the church’s ruins after flames subsided. Investigators say more victims may yet be discovered in the remains.
Authorities discovered three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the shooter’s vehicle, escalating concerns about the scale of the attack. The FBI is treating the incident as “targeted violence” and is leading the investigation.
This tragedy is the latest in a string of assaults on worship sites this year. In August, an attacker opened fire at a Catholic church Mass in Minneapolis, killing two children and injuring many others. The Michigan incident has jolted communities nationwide, prompting renewed warnings about security at religious gatherings.
