Michigan Latter-day Saints church shooter Thomas Sanford had prior arrests for burglary and operating a vehicle while intoxicated, local officials said as they announced that everyone inside the house of worship at the time of the attack has been accounted for.
Four people died in the attack and eight others were wounded, with the victims’ ages ranging from 6 to 78. Five of the hospitalizations were from gunshot wounds, and three were from smoke inhalation from the blaze that consumed the Latter-day Saints church in Grand Blanc Township.
Two of the gunshot victims remain in critical condition, Dr. Michael Danic, medical chief of staff at Henry Ford Genesys hospital, told reporters at a press conference Monday.
Sanford, 40, crashed into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc on Sunday, before shooting at worshippers with an assault rifle. Facebook/Jake Sanford
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addressed the public about the deadly shooting in a press conference Monday. FOX 4
Investigators speak on Monday, September 29, 2025, giving the public an update on the LDS church shooting. FOX 4
“This was an evil act of violence,” said Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Reyne.
“This does not define Grand Blanc and who we are,” he added.
Sanford died in a shootout with police after ramming his Chevy Silverado truck into the front door of the church, then opening fire on congregants with an assault rifle.
A law enforcement official walks outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan. APFollow The Post’s coverage of the Michigan church shooting
- Michigan church shooter Thomas Sanford’s family ‘completely in shock’ over his deadly rampage
- Thomas Sanford had prior arrests ahead of deadly attack, officials reveal, as all worshippers inside accounted for
- Thomas Sanford called Mormonism ‘the antichrist’ in hateful tirade to city council candidate
- Michigan gunman’s mom posted eerie message about someone ‘avoiding accountability’ days before shooting
He also set the church ablaze and it burned to the ground. Officials said they were still working to determine how he started the fire.
When asked by a reporter about whether Sanford, 40, of nearby Burton, had any prior arrests, Reyne said he had previously faced “burglary and OWI” charges.
Authorities said they were still investigating Sanford’s motive in the heinous church attack, which took place about 60 miles north of Detroit.
But a city council candidate in neighboring Burton recalled speaking to Sanford last week while he was canvassing door to door, and that he railed against the Mormon faith over the course of the conversation, calling it “the antichrist.”
Massive flames and smoke rise from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, Sunday after the deadly attack. APKris Johns, 44, told the Detroit Free Press Sanford seemed “extremely friendly” at first, but that the conversation took “a very sharp turn” when the subject of religion was brought up.
Sanford said he once dated a woman with a Mormon family when he lived in Utah, and began spouting off about the religion.
“It was very much standard anti-LDS talking points that you would find on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook,” Johns told the outlet.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” Monday morning that based on conversations with FBI Director Kash Patel, the bureau believes Sanford was “an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith.”
Mormons make up less than 2% of the US population, according to Pew Research. The Pew Center on Religion and Public Life survey from 2012 says 74% of American LDS church members lean toward the Republican party.
