Police reported that on September 28, the suspect drove into the church in Grand Blanc, a suburb of Flint, then opened fire with a rifle and appeared to have ignited the building.
Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye said officers shot and killed the suspect in the church parking lot about eight minutes after receiving the first emergency call. The attack left four people dead and eight injured, including one in critical condition.
The suspect was identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, though his motive remains unclear. Chief Renye noted that hundreds of people were inside the church at the time and warned that additional victims could still be trapped in the rubble. Most of the church was destroyed in the blaze.
“My husband heard people screaming, and one woman was crying out for help,” said Debbie Horkey, a nearby resident.
President Donald Trump called the incident “a horrific tragedy” and “yet another attack on Christians in America.”
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that federal agents have been deployed to assist with the investigation. “Violence in a place of worship is an act of cowardice. Our prayers are with the victims and their families in this tragedy,” Patel said.
According to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive, which tracks gun-related violence in the United States, more than 320 mass shootings have occurred nationwide this year. The group defines a mass shooting as an incident in which at least four people are killed or injured, excluding the perpetrator.
The Michigan attack follows a string of high-profile shootings that have intensified America’s ongoing debate over firearms. These include the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in Utah, a deadly shooting at a U.S. immigration office in Texas, and an August attack on a Catholic school in Minnesota that killed two children and seriously injured others.
These events have deepened political divisions across the country. President Trump has launched a campaign against left-wing groups he has labeled “domestic terrorists.” In a message posted on social media on September 28, he stressed the urgent need to end what he called the nation’s “epidemic of violence.”