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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Ed Pilkington

Michigan church shooting suspect bore a hatred of Mormon religion, locals say

a man holds a large wooden cross next to a police vehicle
A man holds a cross near the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, on 29 September 2025. Photograph: Carlos Osorio/AP

The suspected shooter in the killing of at least four people in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Michigan on Sunday bore a virulent hatred of the Mormon religion which he frequently referred to as “the antichrist”, local people have reported.

The hostile views of the suspect, 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, who was shot and killed by police minutes after he opened fire inside the church in Grand Blanc Township, have emerged as the FBI continues to search for a motive in the mass shooting. The authorities have labelled the incident as a “targeted act of violence”.

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