Deadly attack on Michigan church leaves investigators searching for motive

People gather at the site as smoke and fire rise, following an incident in which a man crashed his vehicle through the front doors of a Michigan church and opened fire with an assault rifle and set the church ablaze, in Grand Blanc, Michigan, U.S., September 28, 2025, in this screengrab obtained from social media video. Authorities on Monday called the weekend's deadly attack on a Michigan church "an act of targeted violence" but said they were still trying to determine precisely why an ex-Marine crashed his pickup truck into the church during a Sunday service, opened fire and set the building ablaze, killing four people. A city council candidate in nearby Burton told the Detroit Free Press that he had spoken with Sanford about a week ago, and that the suspect described members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as "the antichrist."