US shooting: Veteran shooter kills four, sets Mormon Church on fire in Grand Blanc
Grand Blanc: At least four people were killed and several others injured on Sunday when a shooter attacked a Mormon church in Michigan, authorities reported. The assailant first rammed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc with a vehicle, then opened fire with an assault rifle before setting the building on fire. The attacker was shot dead by police in the church parking lot within eight minutes of the initial emergency call, according to Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye.
Two victims were initially confirmed dead earlier in the day, but officials later recovered two more bodies from the charred debris at the church. Around eight people were wounded, one critically.
The suspected shooter was identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, a local resident and military veteran. A heavy police presence was observed at his home in the nearby town of Burton. Photographs from the scene showed the church largely destroyed by fire, and a vehicle, believed to be driven by Sanford, crashed into the building, displaying two US flags.
The FBI has taken over the investigation, treating the incident as an act of targeted violence. The police chief noted that hundreds of people were inside the church when the attack began, raising concerns that more victims might be found.
US President Donald Trump condemned the shooting as "horrendous," calling it "yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States." Trump described the massacre as part of a national "epidemic of violence," urging immediate action to end the bloodshed.
The Mormon church, whose leader had passed away the night before at age 101, called the attack a "tragic act of violence," emphasising that places of worship should be sanctuaries of peace. The church, founded in 1830 and headquartered in Utah, has millions of followers worldwide.
The US has a long-standing problem with gun violence, which has escalated recently amid a series of high-profile attacks, including the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in Utah and a deadly shooting at a Texas immigration facility. This attack follows a mass shooting a month ago at a Catholic church and school in Minnesota that killed two children and injured several others.
Political tensions have heightened in the aftermath of these incidents. Trump has intensified efforts against groups he labels as "domestic terrorists," calling the ongoing violence an epidemic that must end immediately.
With inputs AFP