Investigators will be back at the scene Monday in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, where a shooting and fire at a church left at least four people dead. The FBI is investigating the incident as “an act of targeted violence.”
About 100 people were inside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on McClandlish Road around 10:25 a.m. Sunday when the shooting happened.
The suspect, identified as a 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford of Burton, Michigan, drove his vehicle through the front doors of the church, exited his vehicle and fired “several rounds” of an assault rifle at hundreds of churchgoers, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said at a news conference.
Four people were confirmed dead as of late Sunday. One victim was listed in critical condition at an area hospital, and seven others were reported to be in stable condition. Henry Ford Genesys Hospital said it provided care for some of the victims.
Renye said it was believed some people are unaccounted for.
Grand Blanc Township Police Department expects to host its next press conference at 12:30 p.m. Monday. Participants will include the FBI Detroit Field Office. Henry Ford Health also will have a representative at the meeting. CBS News and CBS News Detroit will stream the press conference when it takes place.
How to watch Grand Blanc investigation press conference
- What: Grand Blanc Township and other authorities give an update on the fatal church shooting and fire in Michigan.
- Date: Monday, September 29, 2025.
- Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
- Online stream: Live on the player above and on your mobile or streaming device
Survivor Paul Kirby told “CBS Mornings” it was “the scariest moment of my life, not knowing if my family was OK.” Kirby’s wife and children were with him, attending a service at the church, when they heard “a loud boom coming from the back wall of the chapel.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said investigators were looking into how much planning went into the attack and whether any clues about the motive were left behind.
“From what I understand, based on my conversations with the FBI director, all they know right now is this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith,” she said Monday.
The shooting occurred a day after Russell M. Nelson, the oldest-ever president of the Utah-based faith, died at 101.
Sanford was an Iraq war veteran who deployed once for several months during 2007 and 2008, according to service records provided to CBS News by the Pentagon. Sanford served in the Marines for four years.
Crews in white coveralls and hard hats searched through what remained of the church on Monday morning. A silver pickup truck with two American flags in the back remained where it had smashed into the front brick wall near a sign that says “visitors welcome.”
U.S. officials and state lawmakers shared messages in response to the shooting, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered U.S. and Michigan flags to be lowered to half-staff through Friday to honor and remember the victims.
Grand Blanc Community Schools was closed Monday.
Bloomfield Township Police says it will “increase patrols around our places of worship and other community gatherings to help ensure a safe environment for everyone.”
The shooting was the latest of several attacks on houses of worship in the U.S. over the past 20 years, including one in August that killed two children at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is leading the investigation, has asked anyone with information to call 1-800-225-5324 or submit a tip here.
Note: Streaming plans are subject to change.
Anna Schecter and
contributed to this report.
