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Crosses, in memory of the four people killed when a man rammed his vehicle into the church before opening fire and setting the building ablaze, stand near the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Mich., on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025.
AP Photo/Isabella Volmert
FBI confirms shooter in deadly Michigan church attack despised Mormons
Published 2:21 PDT, Fri October 31, 2025
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LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The man who opened fire in a Michigan church and set it ablaze was motivated by “anti religious beliefs” against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the FBI confirmed Friday.
While friends close to the gunman in the deadly shooting have said he long harbored hatred against the church, the FBI had previously declined to specify the motivation behind the attack that left four people dead and the church burned to the ground, except to say it was “targeted.”
The gunman, Thomas Jacob Sanford, was killed by responding law enforcement.
“I am confirming this is a targeted act of violence believed to be motivated by the assailant’s anti-religious beliefs against the Mormon religious community,” special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit field office Jennifer Runyan said in a prerecorded video message.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is commonly known as the Mormon church.
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