All victims accounted for as investigators probe motive in Michigan LDS church shooting, fire

(GRAND BLANC, Mich.) — All of the victims have been accounted for in the mass shooting and arson at a Michigan chapel after a gunman opened fire while hundreds were worshiping on Sunday morning, officials said on Monday.

Four people were killed and eight others injured, officials said at a press conference Monday afternoon.

The gunman, 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, drove his truck into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, on Sunday morning, before shooting congregants and setting the building on fire, according to officials.

The gunman was then killed in a shootout with responding police, law enforcement said.

On Sunday, authorities said they feared more victims would be found in the ruble of the house of worship that was allegedly set on fire by the suspected shooter. But on Monday afternoon, Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye said that while the burned chapel was still being search, no additional victims are expected to be found.

“At this time, everyone has been accounted for. We are still in the process of clearing the church, but everyone has been accounted for,” Renye said.

Reuben Coleman, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Michigan field office, said the attack is being investigated as an “act of targeted violence.”

One victim died at the scene, another later died at the hospital and two more individuals were found dead at the scene due to the fire, officials said. Eight others remain hospitalized, including seven in stable condition and one in critical condition.

The chapel is a “total loss” as investigators work to comb through the rubble, officials said.

A source briefed on the investigation told ABC News that detectives are urgently working to determine the motive behind the shooting.

During Monday’s news conference, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer cautioned the public to be patient as investigators seek a motive in the shooting.

“I want to caution everyone that while we are working hard, at this juncture speculation is unhelpful and it could be quite dangerous,” said Whitmer, adding she has ordered flags across the state to be lowered to half-staff in honor of the victims.

“Your grief is our grief,” said Whitmer.

Investigators are working to learn whether the church had been the target of threats in recent months or whether the timing could be connected to the death on Saturday of Russell M. Nelson, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was 101 years old.

Renye said during Sunday’s news conference that the FBI had assigned more than 100 agents to help in the investigation.

Renye said the gunman “ran the vehicle through the front door, exited and started firing shots,” adding that it remains unclear what connection, if any, the suspect had to the church.

Sanford was a veteran of the Iraq War, according to officials. ABC News confirmed with the United States Marine Corps that Sanford served four years in the Marines from June 2004 to June 2008. He ultimately rose to the rank of sergeant, officials said, serving one combat tour to Iraq.

President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the shooting and fire, writing Sunday on social media, “This appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America.”

“The Trump Administration will keep the Public posted, as we always do. In the meantime, PRAY for the victims, and their families. THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump said.

Trump also wrote that the FBI is leading the investigation efforts. Trump said that while the suspect is dead, there is “still a lot to learn.”

Vice President JD Vance posted his own statement on social media, calling the shooting and fire at an LDS church “awful.” He said the “entire” Trump administration is monitoring the incident.

ABC News’ Luis Martinez, Chris Looft and Sasha Pezenik contributed to this report.

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