Updated September 29, 2025 at 2:38 AM CDT
A Michigan school district said its campuses will be closed Monday following a deadly shooting and fire that left at least four dead and eight injured after a gunman attacked a church service on Sunday.
Grand Blanc Community Schools System said all of its campuses will be closed Monday following the attack on a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints service. The closure includes all 13 campuses, ranging from pre-school to high school.
In addition to the four dead and eight injured at the church, the shooter was killed by police.
Authorities say the 40-year-old suspect, Thomas Jacob Sanford, rammed his vehicle through the front doors of the church in Grand Blanc Township, about 60 miles northwest of Detroit, before exiting and opening fire with what they described as an assault rifle on the hundreds of worshippers inside.
Investigators believe the suspect also deliberately set fire to the church, which appeared engulfed in flames in photos and videos shared on social media.
"All indications on this investigation are the suspect used an accelerant of some sort, we believe gasoline, and lit the church on fire," James Deir of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Detroit office said during a Sunday evening press conference. Deir said authorities also found "suspected" explosive devices.
Authorities said during an evening briefing that two additional bodies were recovered at the church, adding to an earlier death toll of two. It is not known if the two latest victims were shot and killed or died in the fire. There are more victims unaccounted for in the burned-out church, according to Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye.
Earlier, Renye praised the two officers who quickly responded to the emergency call in less than a minute and "neutralized" the suspect in the church's parking lot. "We do not believe that there's a threat to the public," he said. "We believe that we have the guy who did this."
One of the hospitalized victims was in critical condition and seven are in stable condition, he said on Sunday afternoon.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a post on X that her "heart is breaking" for the Grand Blanc community. "Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable," she added.
President Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he had been briefed on the "horrendous" attack and vowed the full support of the FBI. Trump added that it "appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America."
In an early afternoon press conference, Renye did not provide any information about a motive for the attack, but said investigators would search the suspect's residence and cellphone records. Sanford lived in a small town about 20 minutes from the church and was an ex-US Marine.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spokesperson Doug Andersen called the attack a "tragic act of violence" in a statement posted on the church's website.
"Places of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection," Andersen added. "We pray for peace and healing for all involved."
Sunday's shooting in Michigan was the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours. On Saturday night, three people were killed and five wounded in Southport, N.C., when police say a gunman attacked a bar from the water.
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