(NewsNation) — Four people have been killed and eight others injured in a shooting and fire at a church in Michigan on Sunday, police said.
The suspected shooter, 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford of Burton, Mich., drove his vehicle into the front of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church before opening fire on churchgoers, authorities said. Sanford died after a shootout with law enforcement, they said.
Two of the confirmed dead were killed by gunfire, and the other two victims were discovered in the church, said Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye, who did not say how the latter pair died.
When the shooting broke out, members inside the church shielded children and moved them to safety, authorities said.
At some point during the shooting, a fire broke out, which the suspect is believed to have set using gasoline.
The FBI said the shooting is being investigated as an act of “targeted violence.”
The Michigan State Police acknowledged it was investigating other active bomb threats. Authorities said they searched multiple churches after reports of possible bomb threats.
The shooting took place at around 10:25 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, a town about 50 miles north of Detroit. Police said hundreds of people are believed to have been in attendance during the service and that additional victims were expected to be found.
“The entire church has not been cleared because it’s a total loss due to the fire,” Renye said.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer condemned the shooting in a statement, writing, “Violence anywhere especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable.”
Emergency responders work the scene outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following a shooting and fire in Grand Blanc, Mich., Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (Lukas Katilius/The Flint Journal via AP) 
In this image taken from video released by Julie J, @Malkowski6April, Massive flames and smoke rise from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, about 50 miles north of Detroit, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (Julie J, @Malkowski6April via AP) 
GRAND BLANC, MICHIGAN – SEPTEMBER 28: Emergency services respond to a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc, Michigan. According to police reports there are multiple victims and the shooter is down. (Photo by Emily Elconin/Getty Images) 
GRAND BLANC, MICHIGAN – SEPTEMBER 28: Neighbors and other community members look on as emergency services respond to a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc, Michigan. According to police reports there are multiple victims and the shooter is down. (Photo by Emily Elconin/Getty Images) 
GRAND BLANC, MICHIGAN – SEPTEMBER 28: Family members of people in attendance at this morning’s service look on as emergency services respond to a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc, Michigan. According to police reports there are multiple victims and the shooter is down. (Photo by Emily Elconin/Getty Images) 
Police and emergency vehicles respond near the scene of a shooting at a church in Grand Blanc, Michigan, on September 28, 2025. One person was killed and several others injured Sunday after a shooter targeted a Mormon church in the US state of Michigan, where the building was also set on fire, authorities said. The suspect, a 40-year-old man from a nearby town, was shot dead by law enforcement after the attack, police said, without specifying any possible motive. (Photo by Jeff Kowalsky / AFP) (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images) 
Police and emergency vehicles respond near the scene of a shooting at a church in Grand Blanc, Michigan, on September 28, 2025. One person was killed and several others injured Sunday after a shooter targeted a Mormon church in the US state of Michigan, where the building was also set on fire, authorities said. The suspect, a 40-year-old man from a nearby town, was shot dead by law enforcement after the attack, police said, without specifying any possible motive. (Photo by Jeff Kowalsky / AFP) (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump announced that a federal investigation into the shooting would be underway, while condemning the violence.
“PRAY for the victims, and their families. THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote in a social media post.
News of the shooting put law enforcement across the country on alert, with the New York Police Department announcing it would be deploying additional resources to religious institutions across the city.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said she was receiving briefings on the shooting.
“@FBI and @ATFHQ agents are en route to the scene now,” she said. “Such violence at a place of worship is heartbreaking and chilling. Please join me in praying for the victims of this terrible tragedy.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said her agency would provide more updates when they become available.
“Sacred places of worship should never fear violence in America,” she said. “I am praying for the victims of this heinous attack and their families.”