“FBI probing Michigan church shooting as targeted violence: DETROIT — At least four people are dead and several others were injured after a man crashed a vehicle into a Michigan church, opened fire with a rifle, and set the building ablaze during Sunday service, authorities said.
The suspect was identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, a 40-year-old from the neighboring city of Burton, according to Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye. Sanford died after exchanging gunfire with responding officers in the church’s parking lot.
Hundreds of people were attending the service at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, a suburb of Flint, Michigan, when the suspect rammed a pickup truck into the church, Renye said at an earlier news conference. He then exited the vehicle and fired “several rounds” at people inside the church with an assault rifle, Renye said.
Police believe the suspect also “deliberately” set the building on fire, which was extinguished by the Grand Blanc Township Fire Department, according to Renye. Videos on social media and local television stations showed flames and smoke billowing from the church.
Michigan church shooting as targeted violence
Ten people suffered gunshot wounds, including two who were pronounced dead. Seven of the hospitalized victims are stable, and one is in critical condition, Renye previously said.
Two more bodies were discovered in the church, and authorities were still searching for additional victims, Renye said during an 8 p.m. ET news conference. Earlier, the police chief said authorities believed they would find more victims once they found the area where the fire was.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation into the shooting and is investigating the incident “as an act of targeted violence,” said Reuben Coleman, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office.
“This act of violence has no place in our state or anywhere else in our country,” Coleman said. “The FBI is committed to continue finding out the facts, circumstances, and motives behind this tragedy.”
Church is a ‘total loss’ due to fire; some people ‘unaccounted for’
During the 8 p.m. ET news conference, Renye said the chapel was a “total loss” due to the fire, and authorities were working to find additional bodies. Earlier on Sunday, police described the scene as “incredibly catastrophic.”
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The entire church has not been cleared because it’s a total loss due to the fire,” the police chief said. “So these first responders right now, they’re in recovery mode. They’re trying to fight through all the debris from the fire.”
He added that some people are “unaccounted for.”
Fire at church was set with accelerant, ATF says
The suspect used an accelerant, believed to be gasoline, to set the church on fire, according to James Deir, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Detroit Field Division.
“I will confirm that there were some suspected explosive devices that were located,” Deir said at the news conference Sunday night. “But as far as using them to initiate the blaze, we can’t say that.”
Local police chief praises heroism of first responders, community members
Renye praised the heroic actions of “not only the first responders, but the people who were inside that church at the time.”
They were shielding the children who are also present within the church, moving them to safety,” he said, adding that hundreds of people were attending Sunday services to practice their faith.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this incident,” Renye said. “It’s very tragic, and that’s not what our community is. I’m confident that we’re going to overcome this.”
State police continue to respond to bomb threats in community
Michigan State Police have responded to additional bomb threats at several locations throughout the community, spokesperson Lt. Kim Vetter said at the 8 p.m. ET news conference. She added that state police searched and cleared multiple churches on Sunday evening.
The threats came after the suspect was killed in the church shooting, according to Vetter.
“Please, continue to stay vigilant, and if you see something suspicious, say something,” Vetter said.
