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Gone quiet · last update Oct 31, 2025 / Michigan

The attack on a Latter-day Saints church in Grand Blanc, Michigan

Overview · reviewed October 28, 2026

On September 28, 2025, a former Marine rammed his pickup truck into a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, during Sunday services, opened fire and set the building ablaze, killing four people and injuring eight before police shot him dead.[1][2] The FBI later said the gunman, Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, was motivated by "anti-religious beliefs" against the church.[3][4]

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The FBI later said the gunman, Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, was motivated by "anti-religious beliefs" against the church.[3][4]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2025-09-22 (UTC): 25%, 47 of 189 tracked outlets (10 left, 24 center, 13 right)Week of 2025-09-29 (UTC): 24%, 48 of 202 tracked outlets (12 left, 30 center, 6 right)Week of 2025-10-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-27 (UTC): 5%, 8 of 174 tracked outlets (4 left, 3 center, 1 right)Week of 2025-11-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-30 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 2 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (3 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Oct 27, 20254318 of 1745%
Sep 29, 20251230648 of 20224%
Sep 22, 202510241347 of 18925%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Oct 30, 2025 · first reported · Headline from WSVN Miami

    FBI confirms shooter in deadly Michigan church attack was motivated by hatred towards Mormons - WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

Background

Sanford, of nearby Burton, had served in the Marines,[5] and friends said he had long harbored hatred toward the church.[2] Investigators combed the burned-out chapel for clues,[6] and the daughter of one victim wrote about looking into the gunman's face as she held her dying father.[7] An online fundraiser for the gunman's family raised more than $275,000, which its organizer described as a "whirlwind of love and forgiveness."[8] In November the FBI confirmed his motive.[3]

Supporting stories (8)
  1. Gunman in truck smashes into Michigan church and opens fire, killing at least 4 and injuring 8
  2. Friends of the Michigan church shooting suspect say he long carried hatred toward Mormon faith
  3. FBI says shooter in deadly Michigan church attack was motivated by hatred toward the LDS faith
  4. What we know about Michigan church shooter Thomas Sanford
  5. What we know about the suspect in the deadly Michigan church shooting
  6. Everyone’s accounted for in Michigan church shooting but search for clues continues. Here’s the latest
  7. Daughters of man murdered in Michigan church forgive shooter in emotional letter
  8. Fundraiser for family of Michigan church gunman raises more than $275,000

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 9 recorded updates

October 2025

  1. FBI says shooter in deadly Michigan church attack was motivated by hatred toward the LDS faithHeadline from East Idaho News · 8 outlets

September 2025

  1. Fundraiser for family of Michigan church gunman raises more than $275,000Headline from Bangor Daily News · 10 outlets
  2. Daughters of man murdered in Michigan church forgive shooter in emotional letterHeadline from ABC 17 Mid-Missouri · 6 outlets
  3. How the mass shooting and devastating fire unfolded at a Michigan churchHeadline from CNN · 8 outlets
  4. What we know about Michigan church shooter Thomas SanfordHeadline from KRDO · 17 outlets
  5. What we know about the suspect in the deadly Michigan church shootingHeadline from NBC10 Philadelphia · 5 outlets
  6. Friends of the Michigan church shooting suspect say he long carried hatred toward Mormon faithHeadline from WFMZ Allentown · 10 outlets
  7. Gunman in truck smashes into Michigan church and opens fire, killing at least 4 and injuring 8Headline from WDIO Duluth · 21 outlets
  8. Everyone’s accounted for in Michigan church shooting but search for clues continues. Here’s the latestHeadline from Local News 8 · 51 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →