Michigan Mormon Church horror: Gunman crashes in, opens fire — 5 dead, shooter killed in police shootout

Grand Blanc, Michigan: A man drove his vehicle through the front doors of a Michigan church, then opened fire with an assault rifle and set the building ablaze.

At least five people were killed and eight others wounded before the gunman died in a shootout with police, according to US media.

Authorities identified him as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, a former US Marine from Burton. They said he deliberately set fire to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The building was soon engulfed in flames and thick smoke.

Two victims died from gunshot wounds.

Authorities said the fire is believed to have been deliberately set by the gunman.

Hours later, police found at least two additional bodies in the burned structure.

Explosives recovered

“There are some that are unaccounted for,” said Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye.

Investigators believe Sanford used gasoline to fuel the blaze. They also recovered explosives at the scene. The FBI is leading the case, calling it “an act of targeted violence.”

Hundreds of people were in the church when Sanford drove into the building, Renye said.

Two law enforcement officers rushed to the scene within 30 seconds of receiving emergency calls and engaged the suspect in an exchange of gunfire, shooting him dead in the parking lot about eight minutes after the incident began, Renye said.

Investigators will search the shooter's home and phone in search of a motive, Renye said.

Here's the earlier report:

US military records show Sanford was a U.S. Marine from 2004 to 2008 and an Iraq war veteran.

Coincidentally, another 40-year-old Marine veteran who served in Iraq is a suspect in a North Carolina shooting that killed three people and wounded five others less than 14 hours before the Michigan incident.

The shooting occurred at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Detroit, local police said in a social media post. The church was on fire.

Police said there is no ongoing threat to the public. Authorities have not released details on the victims' conditions.

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson said the area had been evacuated and local and federal authorities were there.

“The entire church is on fire,” Swanson said. “This is a dynamic scene.”

He said authorities would release more details later.

“There’s a lot of things that are happening that we are not able to communicate just because of the work that needs to be done,” Swanson said.

The church, circled by a parking lot and a large lawn, is located near residential areas and a Jehovah’s Witness church in Grand Blanc. The community of roughly 8,000 people is just outside Flint.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement that her heart is breaking for the Grand Blanc community. “Violence anywhere especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable,” she said.

The shooting occurred the morning after Russell M. Nelson, the oldest-ever president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died at 101. The next president of the faith, known widely as the Mormon church, is expected to be Dallin H. Oaks, per church protocol.