LDS church members raise more than $140K for Michigan shooter's family

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Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have collectively raised more than $140,000 for the family of Thomas Jacob Sanford, the shooter who killed four people in an attack on a church in Michigan.

The GiveSendGo campaign, as of Wednesday morning, has reached nearly $150,000. On Sunday, Sanford opened fire at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township before setting the property ablaze.

“One of the families that suffered a terrible loss on that day was the family of Thomas Jacob Sanford, the shooter. Sanford leaves behind a wife and children who must be grieving,” wrote David Butler, the organizer of the fundraising effort.

Butler described himself as an “ordinary member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” with no connections to either Sanford or Grand Blanc Township. Those who recently donated identified themselves as LDS church members from states including Missouri, Hawaii and Utah.

Man prays at vigil for Michigan church shooting victims

Dan Beazley, of Northville, Michigan, prays during a vigil held at the Henry Ford Genesys Regional Hospital for the Sunday morning shooting at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP/Ryan Sun)

One time that Sanford spouted off about his grievances against the church was at a wedding thirteen years ago, one of the friends said.

“We were like, ‘come on,’ we don’t want to hear this,” Bobby Kalush, who grew up down the road from Sanford, told the AP. “When he came back from Utah, he was a completely different person.”

Around bonfires with friends, it wasn’t unusual for Sanford to start talking about how Mormons were going to take over, added Frances Tersigni.

“It was just so random. It was like, ‘Why Mormons dude?’” Tersigni said. “It’s hard to explain. We didn’t take it serious.”

Burned-out remains of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Michigan following attack

Little remained of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel the day after a Marine veteran opened fire and set the building ablaze in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan. (AP/Mark Vancleave)

“He never once, never, said ‘I’ve got to do something,’” Tersigni added. “There’s a Jake we all knew, and there was one who was hidden. It wasn’t apparent to us.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.