Death toll rises to four after gunman attacks Michigan church service

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The death toll from Sunday’s devastating attack on a Michigan church has climbed to four as investigators sift through the wreckage of a building reduced to ashes in Grand Blanc Township.

Authorities confirmed late Sunday that two additional bodies were recovered from the burned remains of the Michigan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, following a violent assault that combined a vehicle ramming, a mass shooting, and arson.

Earlier reports put the number of fatalities at two, but the discovery of more victims pushed the toll to four, with officials warning that the figure could still rise as the search continues.

The rampage began at around 10:25 a.m. when the suspect, identified as 40-year-old former U.S. Marine Thomas Jacob Sanford, ploughed his pickup truck through the church doors during a service attended by dozens of worshippers.

Emerging from the vehicle with an assault-style rifle, Sanford opened fire indiscriminately before dousing parts of the building with an accelerant and setting it alight.

Panic erupted inside as congregants scrambled to escape through smoke, flames, and flying bullets. Witnesses described scenes of chaos, with children being carried out through shattered windows and parishioners helping the wounded to safety.

Within eight minutes, police officers responded to distress calls and exchanged gunfire with Sanford, killing him outside the building.

Eight people were taken to nearby hospitals, seven of them in stable condition and one critically injured. Officials said the extent of burns and gunshot wounds varied, with some victims undergoing surgery.

Firefighters spent hours battling the inferno and later uncovered explosives and incendiary devices inside the church, fuelling suspicions that the attack had been carefully premeditated.

Sanford, a veteran of the Iraq War, served in the Marines between 2004 and 2008. Investigators are now combing through his military and personal records, digital communications, and recent activities to determine whether the attack was ideologically driven, linked to mental health struggles, or borne of personal grievance. So far, no direct connection between him and the congregation has been established.

The FBI has taken over the investigation, calling the incident “an act of targeted violence.”

More than 100 federal agents are assisting local law enforcement in what is already one of Michigan’s deadliest mass shootings in recent years.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer expressed grief and solidarity, describing the attack as “a day of sorrow for our state,” and ordered flags to be flown at half-staff across government buildings.

President Donald Trump condemned the killings, calling it “a targeted attack on Christians,” and pledged federal resources to support the victims’ families and strengthen security at religious institutions.

Community leaders have announced vigils across Grand Blanc Township, urging unity and resilience in the face of tragedy. Clerics from different denominations are expected to lead joint prayers this week, while counsellors and trauma specialists have been mobilised to support survivors and grieving families.