Thomas Jacob Sanford, Burton, Michigan man and former military veteran id as Grand Blanc Mormon church gunman who shot dead at least two along with setting Latter-day Saints church ablaze. More victims feared that perished trapped inside.
A former US Marine vet has been identified as the gunman who killed at least two and injured nine others at a Michigan Latter-day Saints church in Grand Blanc late Sunday morning before eventually being shot dead by responding officers.
Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40 of Burton, Michigan, according to his mother’s Facebook page, rammed his Chevy Silverado truck into the building before exiting the vehicle and firing at congregants at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, armed with a semi-automatic rifle.
Grand Blanc church shooter’s mother left final heart-breaking message for her son one day before shooting
Make Liberals Cry Again: Was Michigan Church shooter motivated by political rhetoric?
According to the shooter’s mother, Sanford served in Iraq from 2004-2008.
Law enforcement sources have since confirmed Thomas Sanford as the suspect the nypost reported.
The source of the blaze was not immediately known, with investigators finding several improvised explosive devices on church property which a bomb squad was investigating.
Cops said there were hundreds of worshippers inside when the attack began, with authorities now fearing an unknown number of victims would be found inside once the building is safe to enter after a massive blaze enveloping the church.
Michigan LDS shooter was decorated war veteran & MAGA fanatic
Michigan LDS church shooter called Mormons ‘the anti-Christ’ days before attack
Authorities say the shooter rammed their vehicle through the front of the church during a large service and began shooting. Up to 10 congregants were shot, with up to two dead.
Sanford was killed after a gunfight with two officers, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said.
Social media accounts believed to be connected to Sanford show the alleged shooter to be a family man, with a wife and young son.
A dormant GoFundMe page from 2015 raised more than $3,000 for the couple’s now-10-year-old son who was born with congenital hyperinsulinism, or CHI, a rare, genetic condition where the pancreas releases too much insulin.
Pictures from the Sanfords’ Facebook page show the family smiling, posing in the beds of pickup trucks or in a field of tall sunflowers.
Officials have yet to say what motivated the gunman.
Michigan LDS church shooting leads to Liberals & MAGA blaming each other
🚨 UPDATE: Aerial photo shows what remains of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan
A truck with two large American flags staked to the back is at the front of the church, surrounded by black rubble. pic.twitter.com/IBZ6T6ozot
— Algovich (@Algovich_) September 28, 2025
What motivated Michigan LDS church shooting?
This is at least the second shooting at a church in Michigan since June. In June, a gunman began shooting at people outside the CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne on June 22.
The shooting came the day after the death of the 101-year-old Mormon leader Russell Nelson.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is informally known as the Mormons. Grand Blanc, a town of 7,700 people, is a suburb of Flint and is located about 100km (60 miles) northwest of Detroit.
