All victims accounted for as investigators probe motive in Michigan LDS church shooting, fire
All of the victims have been accounted for in the mass shooting and arson at a Michigan chapel after a gunman opened fire while hundreds were worshiping on Sunday morning, officials said on Monday.
Four people were killed and eight others injured, officials said at a press conference Monday afternoon.
The gunman, 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, drove his truck into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, on Sunday morning, before shooting congregants and setting the building on fire, according to officials.
The gunman was then killed in a shootout with police responding to the scene, law enforcement officials said.
Sanford's father, Tom, spoke briefly to Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ, saying, "I feel bad about the families that were affected by this, aside from ours."
The alleged gunman's father added, "We're not the only ones going through this devastation. We are beside ourselves."
On Sunday, authorities said they feared more victims would be found in the rubble of the house of worship that was allegedly set on fire by the suspected shooter. But on Monday afternoon, Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye said that while the burned chapel was still being searched, no additional victims are expected to be found.
"At this time, everyone has been accounted for. We are still in the process of clearing the church, but everyone has been accounted for," Renye said.
Reuben Coleman, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI's Michigan field office, said the attack is being investigated as an "act of targeted violence."
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, officials said.
Eight others, ranging in age from 6 to 76, were admitted to Henry Ford Genesys Hospital, including one who died in the operating room, Dr. Michael Danic, the hospital's medical chief of staff, said on Monday. Danic said two of the gunshot victims remain in critical condition, one with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen and the other with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Danic said the 6-year-old child treated at the hospital for a bullet wound was stabilized and transferred to another hospital.
Another victim was taken to a different hospital, McLaren Healthcare, treated for smoke inhalation and released on Monday, a hospital spokesperson told ABC News.
Danic said that some of the resident physicians at his hospital are also members of the LDS chapel.
"We had a number of our residents who were members of the church and were on site. Not only were they victims, they were also first responders, and having your friends and family come in injured and taking care of them is a really incredible experience. They were heroes. Those on the scene were absolute heroes, going in and out of the fire to drag people out, helping each other take care of the victims on the scene, and the community really came together,” Danic said.
The chapel is a "total loss" as investigators work to comb through the rubble, officials said.
A source briefed on the investigation told ABC News that detectives are urgently working to determine the motive behind the shooting.
During Monday's news conference, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer cautioned the public to be patient as investigators seek a motive in the shooting.
"I want to caution everyone that while we are working hard, at this juncture speculation is unhelpful and it could be quite dangerous," said Whitmer, adding she has ordered flags across the state to be lowered to half-staff in honor of the victims.
"Your grief is our grief," said Whitmer.
Investigators are working to learn whether the church had been the target of threats in recent months or 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.
Renye said during Sunday's news conference that the FBI had assigned more than 100 agents to help in the investigation.
Renye said the gunman “ran the vehicle through the front door, exited and started firing shots,” adding that it remains unclear what connection, if any, the suspect had to the church.
Sanford was a veteran of the Iraq War, according to officials. ABC News confirmed with the United States Marine Corps that Sanford served four years in the Marines from June 2004 to June 2008. He ultimately rose to the rank of sergeant, officials said, serving one combat tour in Iraq.
President Donald Trump said he had 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.
ABC News' Luis Martinez, Chris Looft, Sasha Pezenik and Faith Abubey contributed to this report.
