At Least Four Dead In Michigan Church Shooting

The shooting happened at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township.

At least four people are dead and several others were wounded when a gunman opened fire at a church in Michigan.

The shooting happened at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township. The gunman drove a vehicle into the church, got out and opened fire with an assault rifle. He then set the church ablaze in what a federal official called “an act of targeted violence.”

The first officers arrived within 30 seconds of initial reports, and law enforcement killed the shooter in the church’s rear parking lot. It’s not clear what motivated the shooting, and officials did not disclose whether there was any known connection between the suspect and the church.

The suspect was identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, a 40-year-old former Marine local to the area. His service included a deployment from August 2007-March 2008 under Operation Iraqi Freedom.