FLASH
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At least four people have been killed and eight others injured after a gunman drove a vehicle into a church in Michigan, opened fire and set the building on fire, police say.
Officials said the attack at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, a city 100 km northwest of Detroit, occurred during a Sunday service attended by hundreds of people.
The suspect, identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, of Burton, Michigan, was later shot dead by police in the church parking lot.
Thomas Jacob Sanford, is from Burton, a city of nearly 30,000 people, approximately 6 miles away from Grand Blanc Township.
According to records, Sanford reached the rank of sergeant and served his final duty assignment at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina before leaving the Marines in June 2008.
He was awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the Naval Service Deployment Ribbon, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal, records show.
Authorities are investigating the incident as a "targeted act of violence," but say the motive remains unclear.
Two victims died from gunshot wounds, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said at a news conference Sunday.
He later said two more people had been found dead and "several" others remained missing, although he could not say how many. The church was still being "cleaned up" Sunday evening after suffering extensive fire damage, he said.
Renye said "hundreds" of people were attending the religious service at around 10:25 local time (15:25 GMT) when a gunman drove a vehicle into the building.
The attacker then opened fire with an assault rifle, "shooting multiple times at individuals inside the church," he said.
Sanford was killed at 10:33 a.m. local time, eight minutes after the shooting.
"We are still trying to determine exactly when and where the fire came from and how it started," the police chief said.
Investigators are conducting a search of the suspect's property and reviewing his cellphone records as they work to determine a motive.
Records show Sanford was a Marine Corps veteran, the BBC's American partner CBS reported.
The FBI is leading the investigation and has sent crisis response teams, bomb technicians and others to the scene, according to Reuben Coleman, acting special agent in charge of the FBI's Detroit office.
Michigan State Police spokeswoman Kim Vetter told reporters that officers have responded to additional bomb threats in multiple other locations.
In a statement, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints confirmed that a gunman opened fire during religious services and "several individuals were injured."
"We pray for peace and healing for all involved," she said.
Grand Blanc police said 100 FBI agents have been deployed to assist in the investigation.
President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the shooting and confirmed that the FBI would lead the federal investigation.
Writing in Truth Social, he described it as "another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America."
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that she had received information about "what appears to be a horrific shooting and fire" at the church.
"Such violence in a place of worship is heartbreaking and horrifying," Bondi said.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer condemned the incident, saying: "Violence anywhere, especially in a place of worship, is unacceptable," adding that she was monitoring the situation.
Mitt Romney, former U.S. senator for Utah and one of the most prominent Mormon politicians, called the attack a "tragedy," adding: "My brothers and sisters and their church are targets of violence. I pray for healing and comfort."
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