FBI Provides Chilling Update After Michigan Mormon Church Attack

At least four worshippers are dead and eight others wounded, including children, after a gunman launched a violent attack on a Latter-day Saints congregation in Michigan on Sunday morning. Authorities warn the death toll could climb as recovery efforts continue at the charred site.

Police say the suspect, identified as 40-year-old Tomas Jacob Sanford, drove his truck—fitted with deer antlers and flying two large American flags—through the church’s front doors before opening fire with an assault-style rifle on hundreds of parishioners gathered in Grand Blanc Township, just northwest of Detroit.

Two of the victims were fatally shot, while two others were discovered inside the burned structure. Several worshippers remain unaccounted for, and investigators fear more bodies could be recovered from the rubble once search crews resume clearing debris Monday morning.

Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye explained: “We do believe there were people up there that were near that fire, and they were unable to get out of the church. So we do believe that we will have additional victims once we’re able to search that.”

Sanford was killed in an exchange of gunfire with local police and a Michigan Department of Natural Resources officer just minutes after the assault began. The swift response likely prevented further bloodshed, officials noted.

Witnesses described the chaos inside the church as the attacker opened fire and flames quickly engulfed the building. Congregant Kristin Juarez, 54, said she became separated from her husband and hid in a bathroom, bracing for the worst until she heard him calling her name. “I thought, ‘If I have to die, it’s OK,’” she told reporters.

Her husband, John Juarez, 57, recounted carrying an injured victim outside and trying to help another parishioner who was badly wounded on the sanctuary floor. Another congregant, Paul Kirby, 38, said he initially believed the truck crash was accidental until Sanford started shooting at him. A bullet shattered a nearby glass door, leaving Kirby with cuts to his leg.

Authorities say the gunman not only used gunfire but also gasoline to ignite the blaze, which consumed the church down to its foundation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed suspected explosive devices were also recovered at the scene.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed he has been briefed and is closely monitoring the investigation.

The attack has left the community in shock and mourning. As officials continue their search and recovery efforts, the full scope of Sanford’s deadly rampage has yet to be revealed.