Just two days after a devastating attack on a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel left the small community of Grand Blanc, Michigan, shattered, investigators are still combing the wreckage of the burned-out church for evidence and clues that might help them make sense of the shocking assault.
The attacker, an Iraq war veteran who had made disparaging comments about the LDS faith in the weeks before unleashing flames and bullets on adherents, drove his car into the chapel, opened fire on congregants, and then set the building on fire. In total, four people were killed and eight injured; the shooter was killed in a shootout with police.
And it could have been worse had it not been for the heroic response, officials said.
Authorities say they are still investigating a motive in the attack. All the missing have been accounted for, police said Monday, but victims of the attack have yet to be publicly identified. Children were among the injured.
Here’s more on what we know about the latest attack on a place of worship — with targets ranging from a Catholic church in Minneapolis to a synagogue in Pittsburgh and a Sikh temple in Wisconsin — devastated by American gun violence.
Attack began during Sunday morning service
Congregants had gathered at the chapel on McCandlish Road, a quiet stretch dotted with houses near a sprawling golf course and lake, for the 10 a.m. service. That Sunday also happened to be a “fast Sunday,” when members around the world are encouraged once a month to forgo two meals and donate the food, or the money they would have spent on food, to the poor.
Late Sunday morning, the worshippers had just finished the Sacrament — the first half of the two-hour service, after which some congregants leave — when “we heard a big bang, and the doors flew open,” a churchgoer named Paula told CNN affiliate WXYZ.
The attacker had rammed his four-door pickup truck into the front of the chapel. Then he fired several rounds from an assault weapon at worshippers before setting the building on fire, according to police. It’s still unclear exactly how he started the fire, which sent huge plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky.
Congregants shielded children and helped them move to safety, said Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye.
The church was declared a “total loss,” ravaged by the fire. – Mark Vancleave/AP
And medical residents attending the service jumped into action, acting as first responders to help the wounded. Striking nurses from a nearby hospital also left the picket line and ran to the church to try to help.
“Those on the scene were absolute heroes — going in and out of the fire to drag people out, helping each other take care of the victims on the scene,” said Dr. Michael Danic, medical chief of staff at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital.
The mass shooting and fire could have been deadlier if not for the bravery of those who risked their lives to save others, Danic said.
Police were on the scene less than a minute after the first 911 call, Renye said. Sanford was killed in the parking lot eight minutes after police arrived.
The FBI is leading the investigation into what they call a “targeted act of violence.”
Shooter was Iraq veteran who disparaged LDS church
The man police say committed the attack, Thomas Sanford, was a 40-year-old Marine veteran who worked as a mechanic in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was killed by police during a shootout.
Sanford, an avid hunter who grew up in Flint, was known in the small Michigan town of Burton for his distinctive pickup truck, which he often drove with two American flags flying from the bed behind him. It was seemingly the same truck he used to ram into the church.
He was married and had a young son born with a rare genetic disorder, social media accounts linked to Sanford’s family show. The family launched a GoFundMe to fundraise for treatment for the child’s Congenital Hyperinsulinism, which required a lengthy hospital stay and several surgeries to remove portions of the pancreas, according to a family Facebook page documenting the difficult journey.
A longtime friend of Sanford, Kara Pattison, said he was a “fun-loving family guy” to CNN affiliate WDIV Local 4.
But he also “harbored unkind feelings toward certain groups” and “definitely talked about groups of people in ways that weren’t acceptable,” Pattison said.
People hold signs in support of the community following a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, on Monday. – Emily Elconin/Getty Images
A makeshift memorial of flowers sits on the street next to police tape near the church on Monday. – Emily Elconin/Getty Images
That included openly declaring his hatred for the LDS church.
Kris Johns, a city council candidate in Sanford’s town of Burton, who met Sanford around a week before the attack, told CNN that Sanford asked him two questions when they met on the campaign trail: “What are your thoughts on guns?” and “What are your thoughts on Mormons?”
Johns said he could sense “long-standing anger” from Sanford about the LDS church. “It was a person who really had an animus towards the LDS church,” Johns said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Monday that Sanford was “an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith,” though she didn’t provide further explanation.
Sanford is registered to vote, but Michigan does not have partisan voter registration. A Google Street View photo from June 2025 shows a “Trump Vance” campaign sign on his home’s fence, and a social media photo from 2019 showed Sanford wearing a Trump shirt.
Victims suffered gunshot wounds and smoke inhalation
Henry Ford Genesys Hospital received eight patients from the attack, ranging from 6 to 78 years old. Five of those patients suffered gunshot wounds, one of whom died, Danic, the hospital’s medical chief of staff, said. The other three patients suffered smoke inhalation.
One of the others was in critical condition Monday with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen, while another also was in critical condition after suffering gunshot wounds to the abdomen, according to Danic. Another man was shot in the leg. And a child who was shot was stabilized at the hospital before being transferred, Danic said.
Among the three patients brought to Henry Ford Genesys for smoke inhalation, two have since been discharged, but one was still intubated Monday, Danic said.
Explosive devices found at scene
It’s unclear how exactly Sanford set off the massive inferno that consumed the church, leaving wreckage in its wake. But police believe he used an accelerant, like gasoline, said James Deir, special agent in charge of the Detroit field division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Improvised explosive devices were found at the scene after the fire was extinguished, according to Deir.
Michigan State Police patrol the street in Burton, Michigan, on Sunday. – Emily Elconin/Getty Images
Extensive investigation
The FBI is leading the investigation into the attack, which they’ve characterized as an act of “targeted violence.” Investigators are working to catalog evidence from the ruins of the church and interviewing dozens of victims and witnesses, with the help of victim specialists, child advocates, forensic interviewers and local partners, according to FBI acting special agent in charge Reuben Coleman.
And they’re receiving help from a “world-renowned” specialized rapid response team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — one of the specialized teams that have aided in some of the nation’s most high-profile crisis investigations, including the 9/11 World Trade Center attack and the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.
These teams can include explosives specialists, bomb technicians, forensic chemists and canine handlers.
“They have been used all over the world, and they come from places as far as California, Hawaii, and they’re here in Michigan now,” Deir said.
The investigation also includes a deep-dive into the attacker’s possible motive, involving dozens of law enforcement personnel across the state of Michigan. Investigators are conducting a physical search of his residence, and authorities are also working to obtain search warrants for digital media that may help shed light on his motive, a law enforcement source told CNN.
Police chief Renye said that the “evil act” shouldn’t define the community.
“This is not Grand Blanc. This does not define Grand Blanc and who we are,” Renye said during a news conference. “We are a community, and I am confident that together we’re going to build a stronger community due to this incident.”
CNN’s Danya Gainor, Holly Yan, Josh Campbell, Elizabeth Wolfe, Leigh Waldman, Chris Boyette and Lily Hautau contributed to this report.
For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
