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

[iamshadow21]

I feel for the victims who say they were blindsided by this attack, but I get the sense that there was already some cognitive dissonance in the interviewees’ description of Sanford—calling him “a fun-loving family guy” who the speakers considered a friend, while acknowledging he had a history of harboring/expressing “unkind feelings” (hate) towards “certain groups” (LDS? Maybe women, given that he “jokingly” tried to commit vehicular homicide against this mother and daughter? Probably others, too?) is hard for me to understand.

Maybe it's because I experienced severe bullying, but I'm always a bit wary when I see someone described as "funny" or a "clown". Especially when they've committed an act of extreme violence. There's a certain kind of person that can make cruelty seem amusing to others, so long as that cruelty isn't turned on them personally. There's always at least one at your school that you would have known. And some people grow out of it, get wise, and start treating their fellow humans with kindness and respect. And some don't.

MOO

 

[Inthedetails]

Around bonfires with friends, it wasn’t unusual for Sanford to start talking about how Mormons were going to take over, said Frances Tersigni, who along with his twin brother was among Sanford’s best friends.

“It was just so random. It was like, ‘Why Mormons dude?’” Tersigni said. “It’s hard to explain. We didn’t take it serious.”

But there were no signs that he was a threat to anyone, Tersigni said. An avid hunter, Sanford was married now and raising a child at home.

“He never once, never, said ‘I’ve got to do something,’” he said. “There’s a Jake we all knew, and there was one who was hidden. It wasn’t apparent to us.”

Friends of the Michigan church shooting suspect say he long carried hatred toward Mormon faith

Friends of the man accused of killing four people after opening fire in a Michigan church say he long harbored animosity toward the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but never made any threats against its members.

apnews.com

 

[OneLove]

Around bonfires with friends, it wasn’t unusual for Sanford to start talking about how Mormons were going to take over, said Frances Tersigni, who along with his twin brother was among Sanford’s best friends.

“It was just so random. It was like, ‘Why Mormons dude?’” Tersigni said. “It’s hard to explain. We didn’t take it serious.”

But there were no signs that he was a threat to anyone, Tersigni said. An avid hunter, Sanford was married now and raising a child at home.

“He never once, never, said ‘I’ve got to do something,’” he said. “There’s a Jake we all knew, and there was one who was hidden. It wasn’t apparent to us.”

Friends of the Michigan church shooting suspect say he long carried hatred toward Mormon faith

Friends of the man accused of killing four people after opening fire in a Michigan church say he long harbored animosity toward the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but never made any threats against its members.

apnews.com

I differ. He was out there in the open. Everyone knew he was crazy, despite being affable & laughable at times. Its a sign for us all. We *know* when someone is not right in the head. They all knew. It was just *easier* to laugh him off. Of course, none of us can know in advance that the "not right thinking" folks in our spheres will shoot up a school or church or grocery store or annihilate an entire family but we CAN learn to admit when a person is off their rocker.

Sometimes it's just stress and can be temporary. But in this case, it seems this went on for 10 years of irrationally blaming an entire worldwide religion for the failure of his romantic relationship and couldn't move on.

What set off his final implosion? So far, we've heard nada about what set him off that final day. Saw his ex being happy on social media? A bad news diagnosis/prognosis? A fight with a family member? Losing his job? House in foreclosure? Its been so silent...

 

[FoxxTraxx]

Utah residents feel deep connections to Michigan church shooting victims​

Jared Hicken grew up in Roosevelt and graduated from BYU before moving to Grand Blanc to serve his residency as a practicing doctor. His family said he took a bullet in the leg while going to check on the driver who just rammed his pickup into the church. His 5-year-old daughter Piper had a bullet go through her back, and his wife Brandi was hit by shrapnel.

Names of additional victims and their backgrounds. They are recovering but are hurting in many ways.

KSTU TV News - Update on LDS Shooting and Fire 9/30/25

 

[iamshadow21]

I differ. He was out there in the open. Everyone knew he was crazy, despite being affable & laughable at times. Its a sign for us all. We *know* when someone is not right in the head. They all knew. It was just *easier* to laugh him off. Of course, none of us can know in advance that the "not right thinking" folks in our spheres will shoot up a school or church or grocery store or annihilate an entire family but we CAN learn to admit when a person is off their rocker.

Sometimes it's just stress and can be temporary. But in this case, it seems this went on for 10 years of irrationally blaming an entire worldwide religion for the failure of his romantic relationship and couldn't move on.

What set off his final implosion? So far, we've heard nada about what set him off that final day. Saw his ex being happy on social media? A bad news diagnosis/prognosis? A fight with a family member? Losing his job? House in foreclosure? Its been so silent...

It's very much a case of, when people show you who they are, believe them. (Thank you, Maya.)

He was showing people all around him what he believed deeply and completely, and nobody who has talked to the press so far took it seriously, pushed back, or suggested he should get help. They just brushed it off, enjoyed his jokes and taking their photos in his sunflower field.

And here we are.

MOO

 

[Charlot123]

Could his hatred be from the request years ago in Utah that he remove his tattoos in order to be sealed in the LDS church? Maybe his tattoos are so meaningful that he was deeply hurt to be rejected because of that and he festered and researched for years, only to get more and more angry? If so, that is definitely an injustice collector.

(I am not taking a stance on tattoos or on the church, but wondering about what HIS perception might have been.)


jmopinion

It just hit me that in his case, the tattoos may be like the flags on his car. Less of an ornament and more of a barrier. If you see the flags on my car, or my tattoos, maybe you won’t try to get closer and see the real me behind them. Sometimes people with extremely low self-esteem resort to things that would draw the attention away from them, behind all these covers. IMHO.

 

[Charlot123]

I differ. He was out there in the open. Everyone knew he was crazy, despite being affable & laughable at times. Its a sign for us all. We *know* when someone is not right in the head. They all knew. It was just *easier* to laugh him off. Of course, none of us can know in advance that the "not right thinking" folks in our spheres will shoot up a school or church or grocery store or annihilate an entire family but we CAN learn to admit when a person is off their rocker.

Sometimes it's just stress and can be temporary. But in this case, it seems this went on for 10 years of irrationally blaming an entire worldwide religion for the failure of his romantic relationship and couldn't move on.

What set off his final implosion? So far, we've heard nada about what set him off that final day. Saw his ex being happy on social media? A bad news diagnosis/prognosis? A fight with a family member? Losing his job? House in foreclosure? Its been so silent...

It is possible that people viewed him as the local jester, not the aggressive type.

 

[iamshadow21]

It just hit me that in his case, the tattoos may be like the flags on his car. Less of an ornament and more of a barrier. If you see the flags on my car, or my tattoos, maybe you won’t try to get closer and see the real me behind them. Sometimes people with extremely low self-esteem resort to things that would draw the attention away from them, behind all these covers. IMHO.

I would say to that, if you're a butch ex military guy going for a tatt to make people back the heck up from you, a dreamcatcher isn't an obvious choice? It's more the kind of thing you see on hippy girls who like yoga and crystals. That's his most obvious tattoo that's visible when he's wearing a t shirt. Sure, there's a strand of barbed wire above it, but it's far smaller and less prominent.

MOO

 

[OneLove]

It is possible that people viewed him as the local jester, not the aggressive type.

I think you could be right. I think

I would say to that, if you're a butch ex military guy going for a tatt to make people back the heck up from you, a dreamcatcher isn't an obvious choice? It's more the kind of thing you see on hippy girls who like yoga and crystals. That's his most obvious tattoo that's visible when he's wearing a t shirt. Sure, there's a strand of barbed wire above it, but it's far smaller and less prominent.

MOO

I haven't researched the deamcatcher yet but when I looked up meaning of barbed wire tat, I got this. Does anyone know if he served any time on his burglary charge?

• Military Use:
  During World War I, a captured soldier being given a barbed wire necklace was a symbolic gesture of survival and congratulations after enduring tough times.
  
  • Prison Tattoos:
    In criminal tattoo culture, barbed wire tattoos could indicate time spent in prison, with the number of barbs sometimes representing the years of sentence.

 

[Betty P]

I feel for the victims who say they were blindsided by this attack, but I get the sense that there was already some cognitive dissonance in the interviewees’ description of Sanford—calling him “a fun-loving family guy” who the speakers considered a friend, while acknowledging he had a history of harboring/expressing “unkind feelings” (hate) towards “certain groups” (LDS? Maybe women, given that he “jokingly” tried to commit vehicular homicide against this mother and daughter? Probably others, too?) is hard for me to understand.

This article quotes his friends saying he struggled with addiction to meth. That would also explain some things.

Michigan shooter hated Mormons and used meth, friends say

A relationship that went wrong may have set Thomas Jacob Sanford off on a decade-long vendetta against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

www.the-independent.com

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1973218778457514016

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1973200805713854801

 

[Elley Mae]

LDS church members raise more than $140K for Michigan shooter's family - FOX 24 WTAT

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints collectively donated nearly $150,000 to support the shooter’s family following the Michigan attack. Read More

www.foxcharleston.com

 

[Yellowbelly]

I'm a member of a mainstream Christian denomination (Church of England), so what the LDS believe has often seemed quite strange from my perspective. That said, from the perspective of an atheist, what I believe as an Anglican probably seems quite strange as well!

Anyway, no matter how heterodox the LDS might be from a mainstream Christian perspective, I've come across something that might be the most Christian thing I've ever heard. LDS from across America have raised $180K for -

The shooter's wife and children

Mormon families offer remarkable act of compassion to kin of crazed LDS church gunman

A fundraiser set up by a Mormon family is raising money for the kin of Michigan Latter-day Saints church shooter Thomas Sanford in a remarkable act of compassion.

nypost.com

 

[layer]

sorry, it's an idiom I'm unfamiliar with: what does "the most spec'd out jobs" mean, please? Is it a good thing, or otherwise?

Sorry, specs is short for specifications.
Let's say you're a plumber. The specs will tell you what style of sink they want and exactly where to put it, etc. A lot of the choices in how to accomplish that are left up to the contractor as long as he meets all building codes and passes all inspections. But the owner/builder can go well beyond specifying the style and location of that sink, they can specify a certain brand of sink, a certain model number, and even a specific place to acquire it from. They can even specify the type of piping to get the water there, the kind of drain pipe, etc. Extend that across all the trades and you get the idea.
The bottom line is the buildings I worked on were among the most over-engineered projects I ever worked on. They were built like battleships.

ETA: I took this photo in 2003. You can see what I mean about all the wood.

 

[anneoakley63]

I sure hope the people who do this are not the type who signed up, because they WANT to take down a bad guy with a gun.

Not at all. We do this to protect our congregation FROM the bad guys. Huge difference. In the time I've been a member, we've not had anyone with weapons, but we have had 2 separate protestors and one of those was trying to film our children.

 

[TMich6811]

A Michigan church is confirming that the man accused of opening fire at a Grand Blanc Township house of worship had a recent encounter at one of its locations just days before the deadly attack.

According to the church’s statement, Sanford became agitated during that conversation, though he showed no signs of physical violence and left without incident. “While he became agitated during that interaction, he did not show any indication of physical violence, and he and his family left without incident,” the statement read.

Church Confirms Suspect Had Recent Encounter at Its Goodrich Campus Before Grand Blanc Tragedy

Church reveals new details about a recent encounter with the suspected gunman

davebondy.substack.com

I am going to report this post because I still don’t know if Dave Bondy is allowed. He’s a reputable local independent reporter

 

[Inthedetails]

A Michigan church is confirming that the man accused of opening fire at a Grand Blanc Township house of worship had a recent encounter at one of its locations just days before the deadly attack.

According to the church’s statement, Sanford became agitated during that conversation, though he showed no signs of physical violence and left without incident. “While he became agitated during that interaction, he did not show any indication of physical violence, and he and his family left without incident,” the statement read.

Church Confirms Suspect Had Recent Encounter at Its Goodrich Campus Before Grand Blanc Tragedy

Church reveals new details about a recent encounter with the suspected gunman

davebondy.substack.com

I am going to report this post because I still don’t know if Dave Bondy is allowed. He’s a reputable local independent reporter

The church where the was an encounter with the perp is a non-denominational Christain church and is not an LDS chuch. Just wanted to point that out.

jmopinion

 

[TMich6811]

The church where the was an encounter with the perp is a non-denominational Christain church and is not an LDS chuch. Just wanted to point that out.

jmopinion

And I’d love to know what agitated means and what triggered said agitation

 

[Dotta]

And I’d love to know what agitated means and what triggered said agitation

Anything can trigger a sick mind

Such an individual is seething inside and just waiting to suddenly burst.
Even a glance can set off an outburst.
Scary!

JMO