A fundraiser set up by a Mormon family is raising money for the kin of Michigan Latter-day Saints church shooter Thomas Sanford in a remarkable act of compassion.
Sanford, who reportedly had a twisted hatred for the Mormon faith, killed four people and wounded eight after crashing his truck into the church in Grand Blanc, Mich., before opening fire on worshippers who had gathered in their hundreds for Sunday services.
He then set fire to the church and burned the building to the ground.
In an incredible show of compassion, a fundraiser has been set up by a Mormon family for the kin of church shooter Thomas Sanford. Facebook/Tella SanfordThe petition’s creator, David Butler, a devout Mormon, said his faith had driven him to raise money for Sanford’s family in the wake of Sunday’s tragedy.
He said he had “no connection to the Sanfords or to Grand Blanc,” but was just “an ordinary member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” in the petition’s description.
Sanford’s death in a police shootout following the massacre meant he “leaves behind a wife and child who must be grieving,” Butler said.
“They will face financial hardship and psychological trauma as a result of this week’s horrifying events,” he wrote.
Citing the Bible, he quoted, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction,” from James 1:27.
Since it was set up, the petition has raised close to 40% of its $500,000 target.
Sanford killed four people at the Michigan church — shooting at patrons and setting it on fire. APMany of the donors’ comments express a desire to respond to Sunday’s tragedy with love and not vengeance, often directed at the Sanford family.
“I can’t imagine your family’s grief at this time. May you know that God and others are mindful of those left behind in the wake of this terrible tragedy,” one donor wrote.
“There is peace in Christ, I’m making this donation in an attempt to heal my heart that is hurting right now,” wrote a second.
Nurses who are on strike hold signs in support of the community following a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in front of Henry Ford Genesys Hospital on September 29, 2025, in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Getty ImagesIt was previously reported that Sanford developed a toxic fixation with the Mormon religion after falling in love with a traditional LDS woman and converting, only to be scorned by her.
He would often rant about how Mormons would take over the world and branded them the Antichrist, according to friends.
