2 officers won’t be charged for shooting Michigan church mass killer

By Dylan Goetz, Tribune Information Service

The officers who fatally shot Thomas Sanford after he opened fireplace on a Grand Blanc Township church earlier than setting it on fireplace is not going to face prices.

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton issued a memorandum denying prices after reviewing the occasions main as much as the Sept. 28 taking pictures on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The investigation discovered that each officers had been “legally entitled to make use of lethal pressure in lawful self-defense or in protection of others,” in accordance with the memorandum signed by the prosecutor.

The hearth and taking pictures left 4 victims useless and eight others injured. The ages of the victims ranged from six to 78 years previous.

Sanford is alleged to have first stuffed a five-litre jerry can at an area station earlier than sending bomb threats from his cell phone to plenty of places on the morning of the assault.

He then proceeded to the church, positioned at 4285 McCandlish Street, and commenced the assault.

Sanford drove into the south facet of the constructing and opened fireplace with an AK47 assault rifle.

In response to the memorandum, he was outfitted with that rifle, an SKS assault rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun.

Sanford shot a number of victims as he approached the church entrance after which entered the constructing, earlier than returning to his car to retrieve the fuel can and setting the constructing on fireplace.

Two law enforcement officials every arrived independently on the scene.

In response to the memorandum, one particular person attending the church service shot again at Sanford with a .38 caliber revolver. Sanford returned fireplace, placing the particular person 3 times within the torso.

The primary police officer to reply was on patrol within the municipality of Grand Blanc. He recognized Sanford, who was carrying all inexperienced and carrying a protracted gun in a single hand and a fuel can within the different, and ordered him to cease.

The officer encountered Sanford once more within the parking zone north of the church, the place he ordered the person to drop his gun and lie on the bottom.

Sanford ultimately walked as much as the officer together with his gun raised and shouted “shoot me,” the memorandum stated.

At that time, Sanford was flanked by a second officer and an armed civilian from the neighborhood from the west.

Sanford lowered his assault rifle at a 45-degree angle as he continued to stroll towards the boys. The officers shot at Sanford and triggered him to fall to the bottom.

The change was proven in a video of the taking pictures, proven within the aftermath by Grand Blanc Township police.

Each officers indicated they had been afraid Sanford would fireplace his gun at them, the memorandum stated.

The taking pictures was not clearly captured on video, however was corroborated by eyewitness testimony, audio from body-worn digicam video, and surveillance video from the constructing subsequent door.

The primary officer to reach donned a ballistic vest that blocked the body-worn digicam, the memorandum stated.

©2026 Advance Native Media LLC. Go to mlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content material Company, LLC.