At least four people were killed and eight others injured during a violent attack at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Grand Blanc, Michigan, on Sunday morning.
Authorities say the suspect, Thomas Jacob Sanford, drove a vehicle into the building, opened fire with an assault rifle, and set the church ablaze before being shot dead by police, per NBC News.
His mother's social media posts in the days before the attack have also attracted some scrutiny.
How events unfolded in Grand Blanc, Michigan
The first emergency call came in at 10:25AM local time. By 10:33AM, officers had exchanged gunfire with the suspect in the church parking lot, killing him just minutes after the rampage began.
The fire caused parts of the building to collapse, and officials believe more victims could still be found in the debris.
The FBI is leading the investigation and treating the case as targeted violence.
Three improvised explosive devices were later found in Sanford’s vehicle, according to police.
Investigators continue to search for clues about motive and have not yet ruled out a connection to the recent death of the church's global president, Russell M Nelson, who passed away a day earlier, CNN reports.
Who was Thomas Jacob Sanford?
Sanford, 40, was a former Marine who served from 2004 to 2008, including time in al-Fallujah, Iraq. He returned to the US in 2008 and left the service with the rank of sergeant. A graduate of Goodrich High School, he later worked as a truck operator and purchased a home in Burton, Michigan, in 2016.
He was also a father. In a 2016 interview, he spoke about his son Brantlee’s diagnosis with hyperinsulinism, a rare condition that causes the pancreas to produce too much insulin. “We found out Brantlee was having problems shortly after his birth. It was a nightmare for us,” he said.
Social media posts suggest Sanford enjoyed hunting and fishing. Images from years past show him in camouflage, posing with deer, or displaying fish from ice-fishing trips.
Sanford's mother's social media has come under scrutiny
His mother's social media has also come under scrutiny since the incident, and it has been revealed that she posted a cryptic statement in the days before her son allegedly carried out the attack.
In one post, Brenda Walters-Sanford wrote: "Talking to someone who constantly avoids accountability is not a real conversation - it’s a battle. It’s a cycle of deflection, projection, twisting, and playing the victim..
"When I try to express how your actions have hurt me, you don’t listen with the intention of understanding; you listen with the intention of defending yourself.
"That’s not communication - that’s self-preservation of your ego."
What we know about the victims and location
Four people were confirmed dead and eight others wounded in the attack, several of them in critical condition.
Officials have warned the death toll may rise as search crews continue to work through the collapsed parts of the building.
The attack took place in Grand Blanc Township, a community of around 7,700 people about 60 miles northwest of Detroit.
The chapel is one of the many meetinghouses of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are often referred to as Mormons.
The church later released a statement describing places of worship as spaces for peace and connection, adding that it was praying for healing for everyone affected.
This shooting was the 324th mass shooting in the United States in 2025, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.
It was one of three that occurred within a single day, with deadly incidents also reported in North Carolina and Texas.