Michigan Council Candidate Recalls Suspect's Anti-Mormon Views Days Before Deadly Grand Blanc Church Shooting

A deadly attack occurred on September 28, 2025, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, where Thomas Jacob Sanford drove his truck into the church, fired an assault rifle, and set the building on fire, killing four people and injuring eight before being fatally shot by police. Burton City Council candidate Kris Johns recounted a surreal encounter with Sanford about a week prior to the attack while canvassing, during which Sanford expressed strong anti-Mormon views, repeatedly referring to church members as "the Antichrist." Johns described Sanford as calm but pointed in his disdain for the faith, discussing guns and the church in a tirade that was unsettling but not overtly aggressive at the time. Authorities confirmed Sanford had a prior arrest record, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) found four improvised explosive devices in Sanford's truck. Insights suggest Sanford's animosity toward the church may have stemmed from a troubled relationship with a church member. Despite the chilling interaction, Johns did not initially connect Sanford to the attack until recognizing his photo later that day, highlighting the sudden and tragic escalation from a contained conversation to violence.