By
Veronica Ortega,
Nick Lentz
Updated on: September 28, 2025 / 7:03 PM EDT
/ CBS Detroit
Police in Grand Blanc, Michigan, say the gunman who killed at least two people and injured eight others at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday morning died after “exchanging gunfire” with police.
The suspect was identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford of Burton, Michigan, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said.
Sanford served in the U.S. Marines for three-and-a-half years from 2004 to 2008, CBS News has confirmed. He was deployed from August 2007 to March 2008 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, which led to the fall of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
According to Renye, calls about the shooting at the Church of Latter-day Saints on McCandlish Road came in around 10:25 a.m., and officers were at the scene less than a minute later. Police said Sanford died at the parking lot of the church around 10:33 a.m.
Sanford lived around seven miles away from the church. Michigan State Police and a bomb squad were investigating his home on Sunday afternoon.
Investigators say there may be bomb making materials inside, though it’s unknown if anything was found.
Nearby residents told CBS News Detroit they couldn’t believe what happened in their small suburban community located about an hour northwest of Detroit.
“I really feel for the families, you know, even feel for the accused,” resident April Vann said. “It’s just a sad, really sad situation. You know, family’s lives are destroyed in 2.2 seconds.”
Jason Miller, another nearby resident, said something has to change.
“It’s troubling. A mile from home, you know? It’s obviously getting closer to us, right?” Miller said. “So when it starts getting close, you’re not just looking at the TV screen saying, ‘I feel bad. What’s going on?’ It’s here now, and that’s why we got to do something. It’s getting to be a problem.”
Several neighbors weren’t able to get inside their homes on Sunday afternoon. Michigan State Police troopers said they would be in the area into the evening.
President Trump said on Truth Social that Sunday’s shooting was “horrendous,” and that he would provide “full support” to state and local officials for the investigation.
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