A gunman killed four worshippers and wounded eight others at a Mormon church in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, before being shot dead by police on Sunday. The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, was killed in the church car park about eight minutes after the attack began at 10.25am.
President Donald Trump responded to the shooting by stating there is “still a lot to learn” about Sanford. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called it “yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America.” Public records reveal that Sanford had a sign bearing Trump’s last name outside his home in Burton, Michigan, about a 15-minute drive from the church. A Google Maps image from June shows a blue sign attached to a shed, though it was unclear whether it also displayed the names of Trump’s running mates.
A family photo posted on Facebook shows Sanford wearing a “Re-elect Trump 2020” T-shirt with the slogan “Make Liberals Cry Again,” posing with his wife and ten-year-old son. The shirt dates from the 2020 election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden.
Investigations into the motive are ongoing. The FBI has described the attack as “an act of targeted violence” but has not provided details. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that based on conversations with the FBI director, “all they know right now is this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith.” The Detroit Free Press reported that Sanford had made negative comments about Mormons to a local city council candidate, calling the religion “the antichrist.”
Sanford had no party affiliation on his voter registration, as is typical in Michigan’s open primary system. However, Democratic consultant Mark Grebner told Bridge Michigan that Sanford signed two political petitions: one in 2021 to repeal the state’s pandemic emergency powers, and another in 2020 to restrict abortion. The attack involved Sanford ramming a silver pickup truck bearing two American flags through the church’s front door, then firing a rifle at worshippers before setting the building ablaze.
