MI, Grand Blanc - Mass Shooting at Mormon Church, fire, 28 Sept 2025

[Dotta]

"Church shooter Thomas Jacob Sanford's youngest victim was just six years old
authorities revealed during a press conference in Grand Blanc, Michigan,
on Monday.

Sanford's four victims' ages
ranged between 6 to 78,
chief of staff at Henry Ford Genesys hospital
Dr Michael Danic confirmed."

https://twitter.com/x/status/1972726092852027569

 

[nhmemorymaker]

This is a heartbreaking article about the shooter's son. This was 2016. Do we have any updates at all? This situation had to be so hard for all involved, especially the parents.

A sign from heaven: Family travels across U.S. for care at Cook Children's

After helplessly watching their newborn son Brantlee Sanford poked, prodded and tested constantly over the first week of his life, parents Jake and Tella were desperate for some answers.At last, after long days plagued with uncertainty, they found their answer on the other end of a phone call...

www.checkupnewsroom.com

 

[Inthedetails]

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>T Right now, to me, it seems less of a mental-illness problem and more like an angry, rigid man with weapons and willingness to destroy.

(And, yes, to attack a church is not indicative of healthy mental state, I realize that, but we haven't heard anything as of yet about him having an ongoing mental-health issue.

Again, this is speculation on what we know now, and we really don't know much about him yet. This speculation might not age well as we learn new info.

jmo


jmopinion

 

[angelainwi]

Lauren from Hidden True Crime

 

[OneLove]

Question about his arrest "record": was he convicted or simply charged with no conviction? I think its an important distinction.

Was he a FELON with a known history of lawlessness who was legally allowed to own as many guns as he wanted?

 

[iamshadow21]

As for if people hate LDS - yes. There is plenty about the church that ruffles people's feathers. People don't like that they proslytise. They don't like church's history or ideas about people of colour (Black people and indigenous people from the Americas, especially). They really don't like that they have been reprimanded multiple times for posthumously baptising victims of the Shoah. They don't like their positions on women, and anyone who doesn't fit a neat binary on sexuality or gender. They will go up to you if they know you're LDS and tell you that you're not Christians, and that you're going to hell.

But this is on a level that is not anything I've seen or heard of since the early church days when the Saints were pushing west, getting drummed and burnt out of towns because they'd angered the locals.

Mostly, if people hate LDS, they just tell them to eff off, and LDS do, because confrontation isn't part of the LDS style of converting people.

MOO

 

[Dotta]

"Leaders of LDS churches reaching to help members impacted by shooting.​

Mormon church leaders are coming together
to help church members impacted by Sunday's shooting.

'Members of our local congregation
and members of the church and leaders of the church from other parts of the country are here and seeking to help',
Greg Geiger, director of communications for the metro Detroit region of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said.

'We're at this moment,
meeting with our senior leaders to talk about the needs of the individual members of our congregation,
who of course, are traumatized,
physically, emotionally, in every other way'

'So our focus at the moment really is on how can we help,
help the survivors and all those impacted...
to make it through and to begin to deal with the feelings that they have'."

Destruction to Michigan Mormon church:

Youngest victim of Michigan church shooter was just six years old

Dozens of investigators are at the church as they continue searching for victims in the charred rubble following the Sunday morning attack.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Ontario Mom]

As for if people hate LDS - yes. There is plenty about the church that ruffles people's feathers. People don't like that they proslytise. They don't like church's history or ideas about people of colour (Black people and indigenous people from the Americas, especially). They really don't like that they have been reprimanded multiple times for posthumously baptising victims of the Shoah. They don't like their positions on women, and anyone who doesn't fit a neat binary on sexuality or gender. They will go up to you if they know you're LDS and tell you that you're not Christians, and that you're going to hell.

But this is on a level that is not anything I've seen or heard of since the early church days when the Saints were pushing west, getting drummed and burnt out of towns because they'd angered the locals.

Mostly, if people hate LDS, they just tell them to eff off, and LDS do, because confrontation isn't part of the LDS style of converting people.

MOO

Wild idea but this comment made me think of the Netflix show American Primeval based on the Mountain Meadows massacre Is 'American Primeval' a True Story? All About the Deadly Utah Massacre That Inspired the Netflix Miniseries (and Its Connection to 2015’s 'The Revenant') and also made me wonder if the murderer recently watched it, and it fed his hatred somehow? It'd be crazy if that's what happened.

 

[Dotta]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints official statement on Michigan shooting.​

Doug Andersen, a spokesperson for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, released a statement on Sunday's shooting.

A tragic act of violence occurred today at a chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan. During Sunday worship services a gunman opened fire, and early reports indicate that multiple individuals were injured. We ask for cooperation with local authorities as details become available.

The Church is in communication with local law enforcement as the investigation continues and as we receive updates on the condition of those affected.

We offer thanks to the emergency responders who are assisting victims and families. We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of prayers and concern from so many people around the world. In moments of sorrow and uncertainty, we find strength and comfort through our faith in Jesus Christ. Places of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection. We pray for peace and healing for all involved.

Youngest victim of Michigan church shooter was just six years old

Dozens of investigators are at the church as they continue searching for victims in the charred rubble following the Sunday morning attack.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Sundog]

But this is on a level that is not anything I've seen or heard of since the early church days when the Saints were pushing west, getting drummed and burnt out of towns because they'd angered the locals.

Mostly, if people hate LDS, they just tell them to eff off, and LDS do, because confrontation isn't part of the LDS style of converting people.

MOO

<Snipped for focus>

I hope the local community is coming together to support the LDS community at this time of great tragedy and loss. It's all too easy these days to dehumanize people you don't agree with and for some to take it to an extreme of violent behavior.

EBM

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1972770371175649753

 

[Serononin]

This is a heartbreaking article about the shooter's son. This was 2016. Do we have any updates at all? This situation had to be so hard for all involved, especially the parents.

A sign from heaven: Family travels across U.S. for care at Cook Children's

After helplessly watching their newborn son Brantlee Sanford poked, prodded and tested constantly over the first week of his life, parents Jake and Tella were desperate for some answers.At last, after long days plagued with uncertainty, they found their answer on the other end of a phone call...

www.checkupnewsroom.com

The most recent update I could find was from a few years ago, but he seemed to be in good health (and absolutely adorable). I hope the poor kid and his mother have a strong support system around them

 

[Inthedetails]

The father of Michigan church shooter Thomas Jacob Sanford said his family is “devastated” in the wake of his son’s deadly rampage, and that they have “no answer” for why the decorated Marine and married father would have done something so evil.

Michigan church shooter Thomas Sanford’s family ‘completely in shock’ over his deadly rampage

The father of Michigan church shooter Thomas Jacob Sanford said his family is “devastated” in the wake of his son’s deadly rampage, and that they have “no answer” for …

nypost.com

 

[iamshadow21]

<Snipped for focus>

I hope the local community is coming together to support the LDS community at this time of great tragedy and loss. It's all too easy these days to dehumanize people you don't agree with and for some to take it to an extreme of violent behavior.

EBM

I would hope so. This is a time when everyone should be helping their fellow humans.

The local members of the church will be doing what they can. LDS do disasters well. When my mother married my stepfather, within a week, she, he, and my brothers were hundreds of kilometres away, helping people who'd lost everything to bushfires in Canberra. Not just helping other LDS, but anyone. I remember her describing the confusion from nonLDS that they'd come so far just to help however they could.

This is a bigger service project than most, but it'll get done. The rebuild will probably be commenced sooner than you'd think.

MOO

 

[Izzylizzy]

As an active LDS member, I want to pull out a few things I noticed:
1. I have been called antichrist many times in life by many well meaning generally kind people, that is nothing overly telling. Truly a case of MH with this one. But obviously MH in an echo-chamber of negativity as with nearly all other mass murderers.
2. The assumption that priesthood blessings were frequent or coerced is extremely highly speculative. We baptized a woman with a child suffering from a rare disease a year ago and I don't think a single blessing has been given. It is possible, with 'bishop roulette' as was phrased by Megan, that an overly zealous membership would have encouraged it, but that level of zealousness is rare in my experience. (P.S. I love that phrase though)
3. It was posted that tattoos would be removed for his ceremonies. As Megan said, that is probably only the case if they were obscene and visible, and that is still somewhat unlikely. This does indicate that he was at least a baptized member though probably, but obviously has rejected the tenets more recently. We took a woman through the temple last week who was covered in tattoos from before baptism so I don't think this would indicate a valid sticking point in his bias. Again, there is a spectrum of Karen's everywhere, but it is unlikely that anybody was restricting him for having any level of tattooing on him.
4. Since congregations are geographically defined and coerced, I looked up his address and he would not have been a member of the congregation in that building, and it is not the closest building to his house. The congregation inside was the only group that used that building, and based on the size of the building it would have probably had 200-300 people in attendance at that time. We did not see heightened numbers yesterday as a result of President Nelson's passing, so that is probably not a factor.

What about his wife and did she make demands on him all in the name of her Mormon beliefs?
We have no idea and most likely will ever know what was taking place in his marriage to a woman who most likely was born and raised in the LDS Church.
Were they in marriage counseling with an LDS therapist?

After learning what the Mormon therapist Jodi Hildebrandt was capable of convincing women about their husbands we can't discredit even the tattoo issue could have come from his wife.
imo

 

[Inthedetails]

What about his wife and did she make demands on him all in the name of her Mormon beliefs?
We have no idea and most likely will ever know what was taking place in his marriage to a woman who most likely was born and raised in the LDS Church.
Were they in marriage counseling with an LDS therapist?

After learning what the Mormon therapist Jodi Hildebrandt was capable of convincing women about their husbands we can't discredit even the tattoo issue could have come from his wife.
imo

I missed the info that he is married to LDS wife so I'm asking for clarification if that is fact or speculation? tia

 

[iamshadow21]

All four deceased victims were shot.
Officials looking into IEDs left behind in suspect's car

Two victims remain in critical condition.
2 patients remain in critical condition, doctor says

Former coworker remembers killer as man who loved his son and planted sunflowers.

Former colleagues 'flabbergasted' co-worker is accused in attack

Garry Reynolds Jr. said he worked with Thomas Sanford at the Coca-Cola distribution center in Flint about 10 years ago and had known him both when he was

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Barbb]

I read the entire building is a total loss. It's a big building. I hope insurance covers it. That's a big expense there. I'd hate to think the church members would have to figure out how to pony up that one. Bad enough loss of life and injuries.

 

[iamshadow21]

I read the entire building is a total loss. It's a big building. I hope insurance covers it. That's a big expense there. I'd hate to think the church members would have to figure out how to pony up that one. Bad enough loss of life and injuries.

As I said in an earlier post - that's what tithing's for. The cost won't be borne by the congregation that worshipped there, but by the LDS church as a whole. Active members contribute 10% of their income to the church. There's no cause to worry that the rebuild won't happen. Even if it was completely uninsured, the church could afford it.

MOO

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

As I said in an earlier post - that's what tithing's for. The cost won't be borne by the congregation that worshipped there, but by the LDS church as a whole. Active members contribute 10% of their income to the church. There's no cause to worry that the rebuild won't happen. Even if it was completely uninsured, the church could afford it.

MOO

Thank you for your many informative contributions to this discussion. DH and I were discussing this earlier, and I have a question. I know nothing about an LDS church and was wondering if there would be expensive artifacts that were lost in the fire?