Michigan church shooting: 2 dead, 8 victims wounded
Michigan shooting leaves two dead (Illustrative photo: GettyImages)
A tragedy occurred in the small city of Michigan, US, when an armed man drove a car into a church and opened fire on parishioners. Two people were killed, eight were injured, and the attacker was shot dead by police, according to Reuters.
The incident took place on Sunday, September 28, in Grand Blanc. The attacker, 40-year-old Burton resident Thomas Jacob Sanford, drove his car into the entrance of a Mormon church and then opened fire with an assault rifle. Two people were killed and eight were injured. Afterward, the perpetrator set fire to the building, which quickly filled with flames and thick smoke.
“We believe we will find a few more victims once we gain access to the fire site,” said Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye at a press conference. He added that hundreds of people were inside the church at the time of the attack.
Police response
Two officers, one from the State Department of Natural Resources and another from the local unit, arrived on the scene immediately and engaged in a shootout with the armed man. The attacker was shot dead. Police plan to search Sanford’s home and examine his phone data to determine the motive behind the crime.
Eyewitness accounts
A woman named Paula told WXYZ that the events felt like a nightmare.
“We heard a big bang and the doors blew. And then everybody rushed out,” she said. According to her, the shooter was targeting parishioners as they tried to leave the building. “I lost friends in there and some of my little primary children that I teach on Sundays were hurt. It’s very devastating for me.”
Scale of the problem
According to the Gun Violence Archive, the Grand Blanc tragedy marks the 324th mass shooting in the US since the beginning of 2025.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said:
“My heart is breaking for the Grand Blanc community. Violence anywhere especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable.”
US President Donald Trump emphasized on his Truth Social page that the shooting resembles yet another targeted attack on Christians in the US.
For context, on September 12, a shooting occurred in the village of Pidryasne, Lviv district, at an auto service building. Around noon, two employees were found with gunshot wounds in the office, which proved fatal. Authorities are investigating the causes and circumstances, with emergency services on site.
Additionally, in Evergreen, Colorado, a shooting at Evergreen High School left at least three minors with gunshot injuries.
