• A shooting at a Mormon church in Grand Blanc Township left at least two dead and seven others injured
  • President Donald Trump urged an end to violence in the US
  • It was the second shooting at a Michigan church in recent months

President Donald Trump and several politicians and church leaders from around Michigan and the rest of the country called for an end to violence after a shooting on Sunday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township.

Police say Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, of Burton, rammed his vehicle into the front doors of the church Sunday morning and then opened fire on the congregants, killing at least four and wounding at least eight others. He then set fire to the church before police killed him in a shootout at the scene.

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Police said they expect they could find other victims as they work their way through the burned building.

Saying on social media the shooting “appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America,” Trump said he’d been briefed on the shooting and noted the FBI was on the scene quickly. 

“PRAY for the victims, and their families,” the president wrote on X. “THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said on X that her “heart is breaking for the Grand Blanc community.”

“Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable,” she wrote. 

Whitmer added gratitude to the first responders in the Grand Blanc community, saying that she’ll keep monitoring the situation.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the 13th largest denomination in Michigan, with about 1% of residents saying they’re members as of 2014, according to the church.

Church leaders in Utah called the shooting a “tragic act of violence” in a statement from spokesperson Doug Andersen. 

“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,”  the statement said. 

“Places of worship are meant to be sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection. We pray for peace and healing for all involved.”

Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet, a Democrat from the 8th District, which includes Grand Blanc, described herself as “devastated” called violence in a place of worship “despicable.”

“Thank you to the first responders for your brave work to ensure our community’s safety,” she said Sunday afternoon as investigators and firefighters continued their work at the scene.

The shooting is the second in a Michigan church in recent months. In June, a gunman was thwarted by security in CrossPointe Community Church Wayne as the man tried to enter the church while firing one of two weapons.

GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention organization led by former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, noted that Sunday’s mass shooting in Michigan follows two others in the US on Saturday. In Texas, at least seven people were injured and two people were killed, while at least five were injured and three were killed in North Carolina.

Further, two children were killed in August during a school-wide mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis.

“Families deserve safety wherever they are, but being targeted while practicing one’s faith is especially horrific,” said Giffords, who was among 19 shot at an event in Arizona in 2011. 

“Although we are still waiting for details on the circumstances of this shooting, we know that more can be done to save lives and prevent targeted violence,” she said in a statement. “Our leaders, on both sides of the aisle, must act now, before yet another community is altered forever by a horrific mass shooting.”

Former Republican US Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, a Mormon and Michigan native, tweeted shortly after the shooting. 

“Tragedy in Michigan as my brothers and sisters and their church are targets of violence,” Romney said. “Praying for healing and comforting.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, called the shooting “unspeakable.”

“We all grieve with the families and friends of those killed,” she said. “They are feeling the shock and pain of such a senseless act of violence. And we pray for the injured survivors fighting to recover at this moment.”

Various religious communities stood in solidarity with the Grand Blanc community.

“This is a terrible tragedy and we are awaiting more details and clarification. We stand ready to support the affected communities in any way we can,” Raman Singh, executive director of InterFaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit, said in a statement.

In a statement, Council on American-Islamic Relations National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said: 

“We extend our condolences to the families of the victims of today’s heinous attack on another house of worship, and we pray that God grants healing to those injured. Given the frequency of violence and vandalism targeting houses of worship, we encourage community leaders to review their security precautions. From 24/7 security cameras to armed security to an emergency evacuation plan, there are many practical steps that all mosques and other houses of worship should take to make their institutions as safe as possible.”

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