GRAND BLANC, Mich. (NewsNation) — The search for victims in Sunday’s attack at a Mormon church in Michigan has ended after a gunman killed four people and wounded eight others, police said Monday.
“We still are in the process of clearing out that church, but at this time, everyone is accounted for,” Grand Blanc Township Police Chief Bill Renye said.
Investigators are trying to determine a motive after Thomas Jacob “Jake” Sanford rammed his truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, about 50 miles north of Detroit, then opened fire on churchgoers.
Congregation members initially thought the gunman was a car crash victim and ran over to help him. He then started shooting and set fire to the church.
The FBI called the attack an “act of targeted violence” and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that Sanford hated people of the Mormon faith.
“From what I understand based on my conversations with the FBI director, all they know right now is this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith, and they are trying to understand more about this, how premeditated it was, how much planning went into it, whether he left a note,” Leavitt said.
Iraq war veteran identified as gunman in Michigan church shooting
The gunman, a 40-year-old Iraq War veteran of Burton, Mich., got into a shootout with police, who got on scene within 30 seconds after a 911 about the shooting. Sanford was shot and killed in the back of the church parking lot.
Investigators got a search warrant for the gunman’s home and were reviewing his cell phone data for clues about a potential motive.
The FBI has already interviewed more than 100 witnesses and is seeking the public’s assistance with tips, according to Reuben Coleman, acting special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit field office.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives said it brought a national response team, which recovered explosive devices that they’re investigating.
Joanne Green of Fenton, 75, top right, and McKenna Harrington of Davison, 25, second from right, comfort Katelyn Kruse of Fenton, 26, center, after Kruse was present at the scene of a shooting and structure fire at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on McCandlish Road in Grand Blanc, Mich., Sept. 28, 2025. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP) 
Emergency crews respond to a shooting and fire at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Grand Blanc, Mich., Sept. 28, 2025. (David Guralnick/Detroit News via AP) 
Law enforcement officers walk outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sept. 29, 2025 in Grand Blanc Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio) 
Emergency responders work the scene outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following a shooting and fire in Grand Blanc, Mich., Sept. 28, 2025. (Lukas Katilius/The Flint Journal via AP) 
Emergency services respond to a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sept. 28, 2025, in Grand Blanc, Michigan. (Photo by Emily Elconin/Getty Images) 
Neighbors and other community members look on as emergency services respond to a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sept. 28, 2025, in Grand Blanc, Michigan. (Photo by Emily Elconin/Getty Images) 
Massive flames and smoke rise from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, about 50 miles north of Detroit, Sept. 28, 2025. (Julie J, @Malkowski6April via AP)
What we know about Michigan church shooting victims
In addition to the four dead, at least eight victims were rushed to the hospital and two are still in critical condition, according to Dr. Michael Danic, chief of staff at Henry Ford Genesys.
Victims range in age from 6 to 78. Five suffered gunshot wounds, and three others were treated for smoke inhalation. One child was stabilized and released.
Two of the confirmed dead were killed by gunfire, and the other two victims were discovered in the church, according to Renye, who did not say how the latter two died.
When shots were fired, members inside the church shielded children and moved them to safety, authorities said. At some point during the shooting, a fire broke out, which the suspect is believed to have set using gasoline.
Michigan church shooting an act of anti-Christian violence: Trump
On social media, President Donald Trump called the incident an act of anti-Christian violence: “The suspect is dead, but there is still a lot to learn. This appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer condemned the shooting in a statement, writing, “Violence anywhere especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable.”
Genesee County Sheriff Christopher Swanson urged the community to support one another.
“I want you to think of those victims that have suffered, those families, the church, but more importantly, do your part, the best you can, wherever you can,” he said Monday in a video message posted to social media. “Be kind to somebody, show some love, make a phone call, and be part of the healing process. But you are protected today. I promise you, we will get through this. We will overcome.”
New York, Texas, California ramp up church security
The incident comes nearly one month to the day after a shooting at a school and church in Minneapolis, where a gunman killed two children and wounded 14 others, as well as three elderly parishioners, as they prayed.
Some states, such as New York and Texas, as well as some cities in California, have increased police presence at places of worship.
Speculation about motive in church shooting is ‘unhelpful’: Whitmer
As investigators work to uncover a motive, Whitmer encouraged the public to refrain from speculating on the issue.
“While the good men and women who are working hard are doing so with due diligence at this juncture, speculation is unhelpful, and it can be downright dangerous,” Whitmer said at a press conference Monday.
NewsNation’s Meg Hilling contributed to this report.
