Thomas Sanford: Michigan Mormon church gunman identified, two shot dead, eight injured
A man has driven his vehicle through the front doors of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and shot at least 10 people, killing two of them, local police in the US state of Michigan say.
The shooter, who has been identified as Iraq war veteran Thomas Sanford, 40, used an assault rifle to shoot hundreds of worshippers, including children who had gathered for a Sunday service, 7 News reported.
The gunman was fatally shot by police after allegedly setting fire to the building.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Smoke billowed from the building as firefighters sprayed the blaze with water while fire trucks and emergency vehicles were parked nearby, footage on social media showed.
Authorities believe they will find additional victims in the ruins, the chief said.
“My heart is breaking for the Grand Blanc community,” Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement posted to social media.
“Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable,” she said.
National officials, including US Attorney General Pam Bondi and US President Donald Trump, posted that they had been briefed on the shooting.
“Such violence at a place of worship is heartbreaking and chilling,” Ms Bondi posted on X.
Mr Trump went further, calling the mass shooting “yet another targeted attack on Christians” in a post on Truth Social. “There is still a lot to learn,” he wrote, before urging Americans to “PRAY for the victims, and their families. THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!”
The US President’s comments came a week after he described slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a “martyr for American freedom” during a Utah memorial, framing his death as part of a broader assault on Christians by the “radical left.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is informally known as the Mormon church.
Grand Blanc, a town of 7700 people, is located 97km northwest of Detroit.
The shooting occurred the morning after Russell M Nelson, the oldest-ever president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died at 101.
The next president of the Mormon church is expected to be Dallin H Oaks, per church protocol.
with AP
