The Tragic Events at the Grand Blanc Mormon Church
Disturbing body camera footage has revealed the harrowing moments when Michigan police fatally shot Thomas Jacob Sanford, just after he opened fire and set ablaze a Mormon church. The incident occurred on September 28, when the 40-year-old man rammed his pickup truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township as congregants were entering. Sanford then began shooting at the people inside and set the church on fire, resulting in the deaths of four individuals and injuries to eight others.
As Sanford exited the building, he was confronted by officers who had arrived at the scene. The newly-released body camera footage shows an officer running toward the northwest part of the church’s parking lot, where someone could be heard shouting, “Shoot him.” Another officer warned Sanford to “Drop the gun now.” Within one minute, the officer who ran to the scene fired eight shots, leaving Sanford motionless on the ground.
Michigan State Police are currently investigating the officer-involved shooting, with the unidentified officers involved remaining on paid administrative leave. Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye addressed the situation at a news conference, stating, “It’s a hard video to watch. I know that.” He explained that the police department has been inundated with public records requests from the incident and added, “The reason why we put this out is so we can all begin to heal.”
The 47-second footage begins with an officer approaching the church when a barrage of gunshots rings out just before 10:30 am. The officer starts running toward the noise, informing dispatchers, “Shots fired… south end of the building, south end of the building.” He then turns his attention to another officer at the scene, vowing, “I’ve got your back back there man” and telling someone in the parking lot to “stay there.”
Moments later, as the officer continues to sprint toward the gunman, two more shots could be heard. The officer whose body camera is recording the entire incident tells a man in a suit wielding a gun to “get back.” He then turns to reveal another officer confronting the gunman and yells, “Drop the gun now! Drop it!” before firing his weapon. Less than 10 seconds later, the other officer confirms, “He’s down.”
At the end of the video, a dog can be seen running into the frame. Police have since confirmed that the dog belonged to Sanford and has been returned to his family.
Quick Response by Law Enforcement
Chief Renye noted that the video proves police acted quickly to the reports of the shooting. The first 911 call came in at around 10:25 am from a caller describing being shot in the stomach. Renye stated that the first officer on the scene—from the Department of Natural Resources—arrived in just under two minutes. A Grand Blanc Township officer arrived about a minute later, and Renye said the entire incident ended in just three minutes and 43 seconds, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Motivations Behind the Attack
The FBI is now investigating Sanford’s attack as an act of “targeted” violence. Those who knew the former Marine describe how he held a fiery grudge against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following a breakup with a Mormon girlfriend.
Peter Tersigni, who has known Sanford since preschool and called him his best friend, told The New York Times that his four-year stint in the Marine Corps—including time served in Iraq—changed Sanford from a former class clown into a more serious person. His time living in Utah, combined with heavy methamphetamine use, further changed his best friend, Tersigni and others said.
Sandra Winter, 56, who rented a room to Sanford when he lived in Utah, shared how he felt pressured to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by his girlfriend. “He wasn’t so sure that he wanted to be a member of the church, but he really wanted to be with this woman,” she said.
It is unclear why Sanford broke up with the Mormon woman, but by the time he returned to Michigan, “mentally he was in rough shape,” Peter said. “He got this whole fascination with Mormons and ‘they are the Antichrist and they are going to take over the world,’” Peter’s twin brother, Francis, explained.
Community Response and Support
The topic had become such an obsession for Sanford that he even brought it up at Peter’s wedding, the brothers said. “All he could talk about was Mormons,” Peter recounted. “I was like, ‘Dude, nobody wants to hear about this stuff.’”
But Sanford was not afraid to share his hatred, even telling a local politician canvassing his neighborhood that Mormons are the “Antichrist.”
Kris Johns, a resident running for city council, shared how Sanford asked him about the Mormon bible, the role Jesus plays in the religion, the history of the LDS church, and more. “I just didn’t know what the next question was going to be,” he added.
“One family friend has since told Journalist Ty Steele that Sanford had been battling PTSD. ‘It’s hard to feel sad for someone who did something so terrible, and I still feel sad. I had heard through family events that he had had PTSD,’ she said. ‘He would make comments occasionally and it was something that was kind of talked about. It wasn’t talked about in depth… so I don’t know the depth of his issues.’”
Pictures taken from social media accounts of Sanford’s wife and loved ones reveal they were a conservative, Christian family dealing with the stress of their son’s devastating Congenital Hyperinsulinism diagnosis.
As the town now deals with the tragic aftermath, Town Supervisor Scott Bennett encouraged anyone who would like to help the victims to donate to the Victim Compassion Fund—which guarantees that 100 percent of the funding will go to the victims. He also urged community members to gather on October 7 for a “community reflection” to support the people affected by the attack.
“We will never forget this incident, but I promise that we will not let this define Grand Blanc,” Police Chief Reyne added. “We will strive and we will be better together.”
