Image source, Reuters

We will shortly be ending our live coverage following a police update on Sunday's shooting at a Mormon church in Michigan. The attack left five people dead, including the suspect.

Police said the suspect, identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, drove into the church on Sunday morning and opened fire with an assault-style rifle in the building which was packed with hundreds of worshippers. He set fire to the church and was shot dead several minutes later by police, authorities said.

Officials told today's news conference the suspect had previously been arrested for a burglary and operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

As well as the five dead, eight people were injured in Sunday's attack, the police added. Everyone has now been accounted for.

The FBI said the motive was still unclear. Officers have interviewed more than 100 people and called on members of the public to get in touch if they have any information.

They have not released the names of those who died.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer told today's news conference that the state knows the pain of gun violence too well and called on people to lower the temperature and stop speculating about the cause of the shooting.

You can continue to read about this story in our main news article.

Local officials in Michigan have just been giving a news conference about yesterday's attack. Here's a summary of what was said:

• FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Reuben Coleman said the gunman's motive is still unclear, but officials are investigating it as an act of targeted violence
• He added that they have interviewed more than 100 people - victims and witnesses - and called for people to keep submitting tips
• Grand Blanc Township police chief William Renye said the death toll remained the same. Five people are dead - including the suspect - and eight others are injured. Everyone has been accounted for
• Sheriff Christopher Swanson said authorities are making sure local places of worship are protected
• Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer started off the news conference by saying: "As a state we know the pain of this too well," referencing gun violence in schools and places of worship

Officials are now taking questions from reporters.

One person asks if the suspect had any prior arrests. Officials say that he was previously arrested for a burglary and operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

The press conference has now ended.

Grand Blanc Township police chief William Renye starts his update on the attack by saying, "this was an evil act of violence".

He says the toll from yesterday's attack remains the same. Five people are dead - including the suspect - and eight others are injured.

Authorities yesterday had not been able to clear the church due to the blaze but note now that everyone has been accounted for.

Sheriff Christopher Swanson is now talking about how law enforcement has been working together since the shooting.

"There's more to do," he says.

Authorities are making sure places of worship are protected to "bring a sense of calmness to people", he adds.

He speaks of "noble heroes" who do not wear uniforms who were at the church yesterday and helped.

"Those heroes from that church did their job."

FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Reuben Coleman is now speaking. He says agents were out all night to process the scene of the crime.

He says they are still trying to figure out the gunman's motive, but officials are investigating it as an act of targeted violence.

He adds that they have interviewed over 100 victims and witnesses as a part of the probe.

He asks for people to keep submitting tips as they continue the investigation, as they keep the victims and their families in mind.

The ATF's James "Jim" Deir is now speaking and offers his deepest sympathies.

He says the ATF has brought in a national response team from all over the US.

They arrived last night and are examining the scene. He says the roads have been blocked off near the church, to help with the investigation.

James Grady, director of Michigan State Police is now speaking at the news conference.

He says this is something this community has not experienced before and residents need to come together and support one another "in this time of grief".

He also calls for support - "we also need your help".

Governor Whitmer is still speaking at the news conference, saying that Michigan residents have gotten through hard times together.

"That's who Michiganders are," she says.

She says there have been powerful statements from groups of all faiths after the attack on a house of worship.

She also asks people to "lower the temperature" of rhetoric and halt speculating about the cause of the shooting. She says speculation can be dangerous and unhelpful.

She asks people to be kind and "love their neighbours".

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer starts off the news conference by thanking first responders and officials involved in the response to the attack and the investigation.

She thanks police for their "brave actions to take down the shooter".

She is here as both the state's governor - and as a Michigander, she says, adding that her "heart is breaking".

"As a state we know the pain of this too well," she says, as we have seen gun violence in many places including schools and places of worship.

We are about to hear from officials who will give us an update on their investigation into the gunman who killed four people at a Mormon church in Michigan.

You can follow the news conference by clicking watch live at the top of the page, and we will also be bringing you updates on what they say.

What we know about the suspectpublished at 17:28 BST 29 September

17:28 BST 29 September

By Kayleen Devlin, Emma Pengelly and Joshua Cheetham

The suspect in yesterday’s Mormon church attack has been named by authorities as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, a US Marine Corps veteran.

A 2007 article in a local Michigan newspaper reported he had been stationed in Japan and was soon due to join his battalion in Fallujah, Iraq - as well as noting that both his uncle and grandfather served in the military.

A photo of a truck at the scene of the shooting covered in rubble, showed a numberplate with “Iraq” written across it, which matched images posted on his mother’s Facebook page where the words “Iraq veteran” can be clearly seen.

She also shared photos of Sanford in uniform in 2023, noting he served from 2004 to 2008 and was an “Iraq veteran”.

No motive has yet been identified, and we found no evidence Sanford had ties to the Mormon church. His Facebook page has since been removed, but other accounts linked to family members suggest support for President Donald Trump.

In 2019, an image was posted of Sanford in a Trump re-election shirt - and in 2021 his wife used the hashtag “bring back Trump”.

We also identified Sanford’s residence. Street view images from June 2025 show a Trump campaign sign outside the property.

Paul Kirby, who was with his wife and children at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, said he began to run toward his family as the shooting started on Sunday morning.

Kirby told the BBC's US partner CBS News that he went outside to see what was happening after hearing a "loud boom" that was the gunman ramming his vehicle into the church.

Once he was outside, he saw the gunman was beginning to shoot.

"That was the scariest moment of my life, not knowing if my family was OK," he said, adding that he ran back into the church to get them.

Kirby said he felt shrapnel hit his leg as he saw a bullet hit a glass door just by him.

"It was just so unexpected," he said. "Once I saw the gun and start hearing him start shooting it, it was just a lot of fear."

The shooting and fire happened at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, a town about 60 miles (100km) north-west of Detroit.

This small township is in the state of Michigan, just a few miles south of Flint, and has got more than 39,000 residents, according to the township's website.

The website says the "township encompasses 36 square miles which surround the City of Grand Blanc", and when combined with the city, the area has a population of about 47,500.

What we know

At least four people were killed and eight others were injured in an attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc yesterday.

Hundreds of people were attending services at about 10:25 local time (16:25 BST) when a gunman drove a vehicle into the building, police say.

The attacker then opened fire with an assault-style rifle, "firing several rounds at individuals within the church," Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye told a news conference on Sunday.

Police say the suspect has been identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, from Burton, Michigan.

Sanford was a Marine Corps veteran and served in Iraq, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has confirmed.

What we don't know

The authorities say a motive remains unclear.

Renye said on Sunday that as well as the four dead, "some" others remained unaccounted for, though he could not say how many.

"We are still trying to determine exactly when and where the fire ended up coming from and how it got started," he said.

Officials will shortly provide an update after at least four people were killed and eight others injured in a shooting and arson attack at a Michigan church on Sunday.

Police say a gunman drove a vehicle into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, opened fire and set the building ablaze, before being killed himself.

The suspect, identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, from Burton, Michigan, was later shot dead by police in the building's car park.

Authorities are investigating the incident as an "act of targeted violence", but say the motive remains unclear.

Image source, Getty Images

Police said hundreds of people were attending services at about 10:25 local time (16:25 BST) when a gunman drove a vehicle into the building.

Two victims died from gunshot wounds, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye told a news conference on Sunday.

He later said two more people had been found dead and "some" others remained unaccounted for, though he could not say how many.

We're expecting local and federal officials to give an update at 12.30 local time (17:30 BST) and you'll be able to follow it at the top of the page by clicking watch live.

The FBI is investigating an "act of targeted violence" after four people were killed in a shooting and fire at a Mormon church in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan.

The suspect, named as Thomas Jacob Sanford, was killed after officers "engaged in gunfire" with him in the church car park, police say.

Police told a news conference that the church had not yet been entirely cleared because of the extensive fire damage, and that some people remained unaccounted for.

US politicians have condemned the incident - the latest in a string of high-profile cases of armed violence that shocked the country.

US President Donald Trump has called the attack "horrendous", while former governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a prominent Mormon politician, called for "praying for healing and comforting".

We are now pausing this live page. You can follow all the latest updates in our news article.

Tabby Wilson
Live reporter

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded in the US by Joseph Smith in the 1800s, but its followers are now more commonly referred to as Mormons.

Mormons believe their church is a restoration of the Church as conceived by Jesus, and that other Christians have gone astray.

There is a strong focus on traditional family roles and values, and they oppose abortion, same-sex marriage and the consumption of alcohol.

Although there are Mormon churches all over the US, Utah has the highest population of people who identify as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In 1847, a group of Mormons founded Salt Lake City, which is now the state capital.

Image source, Getty Images

The press conference has now ended.

Officials have now updated the death toll from the incident to four people - excluding the suspect who is also deceased.

Authorities also said that the entire church has not yet been cleared because of extensive fire damage, and that some people are still unaccounted for.

The motive remains unclear as police continue their investigation, led by the FBI.

Police say they would not speculate the motive of the attack.

Michigan State Police Lt. Kim Vetter refused to comment on whether there was a connection between the gunman and the church, and would not address any "speculation" on possible links with other recent shootings in the US.