VIDEO: Four killed in Michigan Mormon church attack

A Sunday morning attack on a Mormon church in Grand Blanc, Michigan, left at least four people dead and several others injured, authorities confirmed.

Police say the assailant drove his truck into the building before opening fire with an assault rifle and setting the church ablaze.

Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye told reporters the suspect was confronted and fatally shot by officers in the parking lot just eight minutes after the first emergency call.

“In addition to the two deceased victims announced earlier in the day, two more bodies had been recovered among debris at the burned-down church, with search efforts ongoing,” Renye said. At least eight others were wounded, one of them critically.

The gunman was identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford. Officials declined to share further details, though US media reported he was a resident and military veteran. Reporters observed a heavy police presence outside his home in nearby Burton following the attack.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building was almost entirely reduced to ashes. Images from the scene showed Sanford’s truck, decorated with two American flags, lodged in the side of the structure. Hundreds of worshippers had been inside at the time, raising fears the death toll could rise as investigators continue their search.

The FBI has taken over the case. Special Agent Reuben Coleman described it as “an act of targeted violence.”

US President Donald Trump condemned the incident, calling it “horrendous” and “yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America.” In a message on Truth Social, he warned of a national “epidemic of violence,” adding: “THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!”

The Mormon church, whose global leader passed away just one day earlier at the age of 101, called the assault a “tragic act of violence.”

In a statement on X, the church said, “Places of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection. We pray for peace and healing for all involved.”

The tragedy comes amid a string of deadly attacks across the country. Recent weeks have seen the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in Utah, a mass shooting at a federal immigration facility in Texas, and an attack on a Catholic church in Minnesota that claimed the lives of two children during Mass.

Gun violence has long plagued the United States, but the succession of high-profile incidents has intensified political divisions. Trump has seized on the issue to renew his campaign against what he calls “domestic terrorists,” warning of growing threats against Christian communities.