XPost: mi.misc, alt.politics.republicans, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh   
   XPost: sac.politics, talk.politics.guns   
   From: leroysoetoro@americans-first.com   
      
   https://abcnews.go.com/US/multiple-people-shot-michigan-church-   
   police/story?id=126015196   
      
   A gunman drove his truck into a Michigan church where hundreds were   
   worshiping on Sunday morning, shooting congregants before setting the   
   building on fire, officials said.   
      
   At least four people were killed and eight others were injured in the   
   shooting and fire, according to police. The gunman was then killed in a   
   shootout with responding police.   
      
   The FBI is now leading the investigation, calling the attack an "act of   
   targeted violence."   
      
   The mass shooting comes amid a rash of violence against churches and other   
   religious institutions and amid a series of politically motivated   
   shootings. It also comes after a mass shooting at a waterfront bar in   
   North Carolina left three people killed late Saturday night.   
      
   The shooting on Sunday morning was at The Church of Jesus Christ of   
   Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan.   
      
   The fire set in the aftermath of the shooting grew to a five-alarm blaze   
   that caused a partial collapse of the structure, according to law   
   enforcement officials. James Deir, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF   
   Detroit Field Division, said during a press conference Sunday night that   
   the gunman used gasoline as an accelerant to burn the building.   
      
   Officials said that the chapel is a "total loss" as investigators work to   
   comb through the rubble.   
      
   Michigan State Police said that after the shooting, they responded to   
   several bomb threats at other locations in the area -- some of them   
   churches.   
      
   Officials confirmed that of those shot, one victim died at the scene,   
   another later died at the hospital and two more individuals were found   
   dead at the scene due to the fire. Eight others remain hospitalized, seven   
   are in stable condition and one is in critical condition.   
      
   The gunman was identified by police as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford.   
      
   The church was deliberately set on fire by the suspect, who officials said   
   is from Burton, Michigan, about 8 miles north of Grand Blanc.   
      
   "We do believe we will find additional victims once we have that scene   
   secured," Renye said.   
      
   The attack unfolded at 10:25 a.m. and "hundreds of people" were attending   
   the service, according to Renye.   
      
   "He ran the vehicle through the front door, exited and started firing   
   shots," Renye said of the suspect, adding that it remains unclear what   
   connection, if any, the suspect had to the church.   
      
   A source briefed on the investigation told ABC News that detectives are   
   urgently working to determine the motive behind the shooting.   
   Investigators are working to learn whether the church had been the target   
   of threats in recent months and looking to see whether the timing could be   
   connected to the death on Saturday of Russell M. Nelson, president of The   
   Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was 101 years old.   
      
   Nelson died at his home in Salt Lake City, church spokesperson Candice   
   Madsen said in a statement.   
      
   President Donald Trump said he's been briefed on the shooting and fire,   
   writing Sunday on social media, "This appears to be yet another targeted   
   attack on Christians in the United States of America."   
      
   "The Trump Administration will keep the Public posted, as we always do. In   
   the meantime, PRAY for the victims, and their families. THIS EPIDEMIC OF   
   VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!" Trump said.   
      
   Trump also wrote that the FBI is leading the investigation efforts. Trump   
   said that while the suspect is dead, there is "still a lot to learn."   
      
   Vice President JD Vance posted his own statement on social media, calling   
   the shooting and fire at an LDS church "awful." He said the "entire" Trump   
   administration is monitoring the incident.   
      
   "Just an awful situation in Michigan. FBI is on the scene and the entire   
   administration is monitoring things. Say a prayer for the victims and   
   first responders," Vance wrote.   
      
   Shortly after the shooting, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on   
   X, "I am receiving briefings about what appears to be a horrific shooting   
   and fire at an LDS church in Grand Blanc, Michigan. @FBI and @ATFHQ agents   
   are en route to the scene now. Such violence at a place of worship is   
   heartbreaking and chilling. Please join me in praying for the victims of   
   this terrible tragedy."   
      
   Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said her "heart is breaking for the Grand   
   Blanc community" in a statement on X.   
      
   "Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable,"   
   she said. "I am grateful to the first responders who took action quickly.   
   We will continue to monitor this situation and hold the Church of Jesus   
   Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Grand Blanc close."   
      
   Renye said during Sunday's news conference that the FBI has assigned more   
   than 100 agents to help in the investigation.   
      
   "Violence in a place of worship is a cowardly and criminal act. Our   
   prayers are with the victims and their families during this terrible   
   tragedy," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post.   
      
   Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spokesperson Doug Anderson   
   issued a statement confirming that the gunman opened fire on the   
   congregation during Sunday worship services.   
      
   "The Church is in communication with local law enforcement as the   
   investigation continues and as we receive updates on the condition of   
   those affected," Anderson said. "We offer thanks to the emergency   
   responders who are assisting victims and families. We are deeply grateful   
   for the outpouring of prayers and concern from so many people around the   
   world. In moments of sorrow and uncertainty, we find strength and comfort   
   through our faith in Jesus Christ. Places of worship are meant to be   
   sanctuaries of peacemaking, prayer and connection. We pray for peace and   
   healing for all involved."   
      
   For years, law enforcement and homeland security experts have been warning   
   that religious institutions across the board are being targeted for acts   
   of violence.   
      
   "We can all agree that our houses of worship should be safe places for   
   people to exercise their freedom of religion but right now we are   
   increasingly seeing them being targets for violence -- and not just   
   attacks on any one faith," Michael Masters, who oversees security   
   operations for the main U.S. network of Jewish schools and synagogues,   
   told ABC News. "Attacks against religious institutions are attacks against   
   our democracy as a whole."   
      
   Masters said there has been an increase in targeted attacks across the   
   faith-based community over the past several years.   
      
   "This is something we’ve been working to prepare for in the Jewish   
   community for many years. In the current threat environment, the offenders   
   are often not distinguishing. There’s the Jewish community, the Sikh   
      
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