These Are The Key Details We Know About The Michigan Church Massacre

On Sunday, September 28, 2025, a gunman stormed a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Grand Blanc, Michigan, killing at least four people and wounding eight others.

Authorities said the attacker, 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, drove a vehicle into the building, opened fire with an assault rifle, and ignited the Mormon church. Police engaged him in a shootout and killed him just eight minutes after the assault began.

Timeline of the Attack

Police received the first call at 10:25 AM. By 10:33 AM, officers confronted Sanford in the church parking lot and shot him dead. Flames had already engulfed the building, and parts of the chapel collapsed. They don’t know how the fire started yet, but Grand Blanc Township police chief William Renye said: “We do believe, however, that it was deliberately set by the suspect.”

During the investigation, police also discovered three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in his vehicle that could have been responsible for starting the massive fire.

The Suspect: Who Is Thomas Jacob Sanford?

Sanford was a Marine veteran from Burton, Michigan, who served in Iraq’s al-Fallujah from 2004 to 2008. He left the Marines as a sergeant.

A graduate of Goodrich High School, Sanford later worked as a truck operator and bought a home in 2016. He was also a father to a son born with a rare medical condition. In past interviews, Sanford described his family’s struggles as “a nightmare for us.”

Social media posts show him as an avid hunter and fisherman.

The motive is still unclear, but there are perhaps some insights into his psyche from the above facts. CNN says that a search of Sandfords’ residence is happening now and that will likely reveal more soon.

Victims

Authorities confirmed four dead and eight injured, with one person in critical condition. Officials warned more victims might be found in the debris.

Bigger Picture

The attack was one of more than 330 mass shootings in the U.S. in 2025, according to trackers like the Gun Violence Archive. It was also one of at least three mass shootings on September 28, alongside an attack at a casino in Eagle Pass, Texas, and another on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. A day earlier, on September 27, a mass shooting took place at a waterfront bar in Southport, North Carolina.

In a morbid parallel, the North Carolina gunman was also a 40-year-old Marine veteran who had served in Iraq. Jacob Sanford fits the same profile.