- Grand Blanc continues to reel from Sunday’s attack, as police barricades remain in place
- From community leaders to the grieving, there came calls for peace and even forgiveness
- ‘This will not define us,’ the school district’s superintendent says
GRAND BLANC—Trevor Alward stepped from his office Tuesday with hope.
Just more than 48 hours after the unthinkable happened: gun shots shattering an otherwise brilliant autumn day, flames, death.
“We are unified in this: This will not define us,” said Alward, the superintendent of Grand Blanc Community Schools.
In this city of 8,000 south of Flint, where a gunman on Sunday killed four people and wounded eight others at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, words like “forgiveness” and “togetherness” filled conversations and social media posts.
The daughter of one of those who died, Craig Hayden, posted a note that family and eventually Mormon leaders shared online.
“I needed to share this for Papa, for Dad,” Lisa Louis wrote. “For anyone who can set aside hate.
“Fear breeds anger,” she wrote. “Anger breeds hate. Hate breeds suffering. If we can stop the hate, we can stop the suffering.”
About 10:25 a.m. Sunday, a gunman identified as Thomas “Jake” Sanford of nearby Burton, who reportedly held grudges against Mormons, rammed his truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, opening fire on those who had gathered for service.
RELATED:
- What we know about victims in Michigan mass shooting and church fire
- United in tragedy, Oxford and Rochester Hills offer lessons to Grand Blanc
- No more missing — still no motive — in Michigan church shooting, fire
- Reports: Grand Blanc attacker held grudges against Mormons: What we know
He also set the church ablaze before being shot and killed.
Victims treated at Henry Ford Health Genesys Hospital suffered gunshot wounds or smoke inhalation, and their ages ranged from 6 to 78.
On Tuesday, the larger community continued to encircle victims with support. Local restaurants offered free meals to first responders. Signs in front yards and businesses asked for prayers for the entire community.
Bright red marker ink on poster boards made broken hearts. Grand Blanc Strong, they read. WeAre#GB.
Flags are at half-staff.
On Tuesday, students returned to school and many residents were settling back into work routines.
But it was a community still in shock, said Logan Readdy, boarding manager of Four Paws Hotel & Day Resort, which is less than a mile from the church.
Little “feel-good moments” had outsized returns, he said.
Acustomer delivered homemade cookies decorated with “Grand Blanc Strong” at the boarding facility
“It’s, ‘We’re in this together. We’ve got your back,’” Readdy said.
Schools were closed Monday. Behind Alward as he wrapped up his workday on Tuesday, young athletes jogged across campus; several students drifted by on a nearby sidewalk.
The marquee outside the high school read WeAre#GB.
Alward began his career in the late ‘90s, just as Columbine — amongthe first of modern-day mass school shootings — jarred the nation.
On Sunday, his staff began compiling a list of the families who were members of the Church of Latter-day Saints.
Where to find resources:
The American Red Cross is helping families reunify with their loved ones in collaboration with local law enforcement and is directing people to call its hotline at 248-705-7352 for assistance.
Support for Grand Blanc area residents is available through Friday at the Grand Blanc Senior Center at 12632 Pagels Drive, Grand Blanc, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
If you or someone suspects imminent danger or needs immediate medical attention, call 911.
If you are experiencing a suicidal crisis or need mental health support, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline offers free and confidential services by phone, text and online chat around the clock.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers its services to anyone following a tragedy through the NAMI National HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or by texting “HelpLine” to 62640, available Mon-Fri from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
As the day progressed, the list grew to about 30, he said. But so did the clarity that none of the students had been directly harmed in the shooting.
Still, officials decided to cancel classesMonday. Staff greeted students as they unloaded from cars and buses Tuesday morning, he said.
“We wanted them to be welcomed with smiling faces,” he said.
Students and staff observeda moment of silence. Therapy dogs were on hand at each of the school buildings, Alward said.
The school district, city, township and others are planning a Tuesday vigil, he said, to honor the dead, deepen the community’s resilience and celebrate its diversity.
“We are all Bobcats,” said Alward, who graduated in Goodrich east of here, but married a “Grand Blanc girl,” he said, smiling.
Barricades remain
At the police barricades, community members drifted in and out throughout Monday evening and into Tuesday, passing news vans still parked along the normally quiet residential street leading to the church grounds.
Noah Schultz, 17, and Zac Guir, 29, friends from nearby Ekklesia Grand Blanc church, dropped by at nightfall Monday, laying two bunches of flowers at police barricades.
They didn’t know those who were hurt.
“But we’re paying respects,” Guir said. “It helps us to remind each other that we’re human. We’re all made in the image of God,” he said.
Acts of kindness, he said, must be the reaction to “horrible evil.”
Bishop Jeffrey Schaub of the Church of Jesus Christ, Latter-Day Saints in a video posted on X spoke about the pain but also the generosity shown to his church from other churches, sports teams and others — from prayer to meals to notes andother signs of support.
“We love to help each other,” he said. “We love to be kind. And while this is sad, these are opportunities to share that love with each other and remind one another who we are and what’s important.”
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under our Republication Guidelines. Questions? Email republishing@bridgemi.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.