Five people have been killed and at least eight wounded after a gunman rammed his car into a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building in Michigan before opening fire on the congregation, police said. After the initial attack, the gunman then set fire to the church.
The shooting took place at the Latter-day Saints church in Grand Blanc Township, about 50 miles north of Detroit, at 10.25am on Sunday. The suspected gunman, Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, was subsequently killed by officers at the scene. Explosive devices were found on his person. According to officials, Sanford was a former US Marine who served in Iraq.
The FBI’s special agent in charge of the bureau's Detroit field office, Reuben Coleman, said on Sunday night that the bureau is seeking a motive.
“The FBI is now leading the investigation and is treating this as an act of targeted violence,” he said.
In the wake of the incident, Michigan police have urged residents to remain vigilant after receiving bomb threats at other churches.
The attack comes just over a month after two children were killed and 21 people injured during a shooting at a Catholic school in the neighbouring state of Minnesota. In that case, the gunman opened fire during a school morning Mass for students aged from kindergarten to eighth grade (approximately 5 or 6 up to 13 or 14), held at the school’s adjacent Annunciation Church.
Related: Shooting at Catholic school during Mass leaves at least 3 dead and 17 injured
Responding to the Michigan attack, President Donald Trump said on his social media platform that “this appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America” and that “this epidemic of violence in our country must end, immediately!”
The official X account of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wrote on Sunday: “We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of prayers and concern from so many people around the world. In moments of sorrow and uncertainty, we find strength and comfort through our faith in Jesus Christ. Places of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection. We pray for peace and healing for all involved.”
The attack comes at an especially sensitive time for the Church, which lost Russell M. Nelson, its president and highest religious authority, the day before at the age of 101. He was the oldest church president in history.
Nelson became president in 2018 after having served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since 1984. He was the second-oldest person to assume the role. Nelson was particularly well known for his global push to stop using the nickname “Mormon” in favour of the full Church name. He married Dantzel White in 1945, with whom he had ten children. After her death in 2005, he married Wendy Watson in 2006. Nelson had ten children, 57 grandchildren, over 150 great-grandchildren, and at least one great-great-grandchild.
(Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
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