A typical Sunday service took a terrifying turn after a gunman opened fire on the assembled congregation at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan. .The gunman, later identified as Michigan native Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, crashed his vehicle into the church entrance Sunday morning as mass had just begun. Sanford proceeded to open fire, killing at least four people and wounding at least eight more. Sanford then set fire to the church and left on foot. The fire persisted for hours before crews were able to douse the blaze..Police engaged Sanford soon after he left, and after an exchange of gunfire he was shot and killed by the officers..Investigators say as of now there is no known motive for the attack. Authorities are conducting a search of Sanford's residence but released no other details about the him and didn't mention whether or not he was a member of the Church of Latter-day Saints, colloquially known as the Mormon church. .This attack is the latest in a frightening string of similar incidents involving mass shooting at churches including the August shooting at a church in Minnesota, and the July shooting at a church in Kentucky. Both of these incidents also resulted in the deaths of 2 people. .On Truth Social, U.S President Donald Trump called the incident "yet another targeted attack on Christians". Trump went on to say that Americans should "...pray for the victims and their families", and that "THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!".Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said that she is appalled by the shooting and that "Violence anywhere especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable.".The impact of the shooting will most likely have a severe impact on the small community, with Grand Blanc, a suburb of Flint, having a population of just over 8,000. "This sort of thing is very painful for our entire community," said Grand Blanc Mayor John Creasey, "I'm struggling to digest all that has happened, and my heart goes out to all of the affected families.".Due to a high level of spam content being posted in our comment section below, all comments undergo manual approval by a staff member during regular business hours (Monday - Friday). Your patience is appreciated.
