- Grieving continues in Grand Blanc after gunfire and fire tore through the congregation Sunday
- Community support remains strong, including for the victims
- Fundraising efforts and other initiatives are taking place
Updated 12:14 p.m. Oct. 2, 2025
Four people who died in Sunday’s church attack in Grand Blanc Township have been identified, as several who were wounded continue to recover.
In addition to the four congregants, the suspect died in Sunday’s attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The shooter, Thomas “Jake” Sanford, was killed in a shootout as two law enforcement officers rushed to stop the attack.
Victims treated at Henry Ford Health Genesys Hospital suffered gunshot wounds or smoke inhalation, and their ages ranged from 6 to 78.
Bridge Michigan has confirmed the identities of those killed and some who were injured through online records and through family.
Here is what we know so far:
John Bond, killed in the attack
John Bond, 77, was a Navy veteran who enjoyed golf and trains, according to an online fundraising request. It was posted by his granddaughters, Emily and Jamie Garcia.
A resident of Linden, he also valued his wife, Joanne Bond, and family of six children and 10 grandchildren.
Reports indicate that Bond was shot in the attack. He was at the church with Joanne, who told reporters that he had been dressed up as he left for church. He noted that his shoes needed shining, and he also told her he loved her.
Joanne Bond said that she was told her husband asked people to call her after he’d been shot.
Craig Hayden, killed
Craig Hayden of Fenton was married for 50 years to Carol Hayden and he had been a church leader.
His daughter, Julie Green, posted the news on the family’s Billmeier Camera Shop Facebook page. Another relative set up an online fundraiser.
“My father-in-law lost his life helping another in the shooting,” Jennifer Hayden wrote.
Related:
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- No more missing — still no motive — in Michigan church shooting, fire
- Reports: Grand Blanc attacker held grudges against Mormons: What we know
Craig Hayden’s daughter, Lisa Louis, also wrote a note that family and eventually Mormon leaders shared online. In it, she said the shooter came up to her while she was kneeling next to her father. Their eyes met. He did not shoot her.
“I needed to share this for Papa, for Dad,” she wrote. “For anyone who can set aside hate.”
Green said that inspired her: “I prayed for the man that took my father’s life and I told him he is forgiven. We forgive him.”
Pat Howard, killed
Pat Howard, 77, of Holly died in the attack. Kitty Howard, his wife, was not injured.
“Their family is forever affected by the shooting at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,” family friend Lindsay Lyman wrote on a GoFundMe request.
“Uncle Pat was so many things,” his niece wrote on Facebook. “As an uncle he was smart, kind, funny, serious, curious, and loved his family. To spend your life surrounded by the love and laughter of Aunt Kitty and all the Howard kids – that’s a life well spent.”
Thelma Armstrong, killed
Thelma Armstrong was attending services with her daughter when the attack took place. She died, according to reports confirmed by the Deseret News, a publication of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“Thelma’s family is heartbroken, mourning the loss of a beloved mother, grandmother, and dear friend,” according to GoFundMe request by relative Gwen Henrie of Grand Blanc. “Known for her kindness and selflessness, she dedicated her life to her family.”
A fellow church member said that Armstrong was from South Africa. A newspaper in Klerpsdorp reported that she’d come to the U.S. in 2019.
Benjamin Phelps and his son, both injured
Benjamin Phelps and his young son were both injured in the attack, according to a verified GoFundMe account description.
“We are grateful to share that his son has returned home, but Benjamin still faces a long and difficult recovery,” Sarah Kunzler wrote.
Phelps, an Idaho native, lives in Linden with his wife and children. Friends in online forums say the couple both served in overseas missions.
The fundraising exceeded initial goals, prompting Kunzler to keep it open.
“We don’t yet know the full extent of what Benjamin and his family will need in the coming weeks and months,” she wrote.
A friend at the Phelps home said the family is not ready to comment.
Jared and Brandi Hicken and their young daughter, all injured
Jared Hicken is a fourth-year chief emergency medicine resident at Henry Ford Genesys, according to an online fundraiser posted by Dr. Ally Ralston of Grand Blanc.
Brandi Hicken and their daughter were released from the hospital. Jared Hicken’s condition is not public. He has been an overseas missionary, with a friend saying he served in the Philippines.
“We’re not ready to talk,” a woman at the family’s home told Bridge.
Greg Mikat, injured in shooting
Greg Mikat suffered life-threatening gunshot wounds, his sister Allison Ensign wrote on GoFundMe.
“Greg was attempting to stop the horrific attack at his church when the assailant shot him three times,” she said in the post. “This has been a devastating and unexpected tragedy for his family.”
She continued: “Greg is fighting hard, but the road to recovery will be long, with surgeries, hospital stays, and months of healing ahead. “
Jeff and Marei Kubiak, injured
The couple, Holly residents, were both injured in the church attack.
“While attending church that day, my dad heard a loud crash and immediately rushed to help—because that’s who he is,” their daughter Kathleen wrote on a GoFundMe request. “In the chaos that followed, he was shot.”
The shot shattered Jeff’s ankle, she said. He’s had two surgeries to remove the bullet and leather from his foot. Marei was injured by glass shards in her hands and feet.
Jeff runs Bestway of MI Inc., a carpet cleaning and restoration business requiring him to be on his feet all day. That, his daughter said, is “something he won’t be able to do for the foreseeable future.”
They are parents of five and grandparents to 11.
“Their home is one filled with love, animals, and unwavering faith,” their daughter said.
S. Bridger Frampton, injured
S. Bridger Frampton is a 4th year emergency resident and educational clerkship coordinator at Henry Ford Genesys. He is married and a father of five, according Ralston’s post.
He and hospital colleague Jared Hicken kept running back into the church on Sunday, witnesses said, trying to help people.
The pair “gave selflessly—caring for others even while their own lives were threatened,” Ralston wrote.
Elyse Vinson of Clinton Township and a colleague at Henry Ford Genesys
ICU told Bridge that Frampton “is literally one of the best human beings on the entire Earth.”
This story will be updated as verified information becomes available.
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