Leavitt Reveals FBI’s Michigan Shooter Finding: ‘Hated People of Mormon Faith’
Leavitt Reveals FBI’s Michigan Shooter Finding: ‘Hated People of Mormon Faith’
When co-host Lawrence Jones asked Leavitt on Fox & Friends on Monday what the motive was, she didn’t say if there was a personal connection to that church community.
Advertisement “From what I understand based on my conversation with the FBI director, all they know right now is that this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith,” Leavitt said.
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structure.
Investigators issued a warning, predicting an increase in the death toll due to the unaccounted-for status of several individuals and the possibility of finding additional victims among the rubble.
Emergency crews suspended the search late Sunday night and are expected to resume clearing debris early Monday morning.
This incident occurred one day after a gunman opened fire inside a Latter-day Saints church in Michigan, killing at least four people and injuring eight others, including children, before setting the building ablaze
Officials said they do not yet know how many parishioners remain unaccounted for. A source familiar with the investigation told CNN the number could be as high as seven, though that estimate may include survivors who have not yet been able to contact their families. Moments later, images captured the building engulfed in flames, its frame swallowed by thick smoke and fire.
The fire reduced the church to its foundation, complicating recovery efforts
“We do believe there were people up there that were near that fire, and they were unable to get out of the church. So we do believe that we will have additional victims once we’re able to search that,” Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye told reporters.
Police said the gunman, identified as 40-year-old Tomas Jacob Sanford, drove his pickup truck through the church’s front doors around 10:25 a.m. before opening fire with an assault-style rifle. The vehicle had two large American flags in its bed and deer antlers mounted on the front bumper.
Officials said the suspect was neutralized roughly eight minutes after the attack began, the New York Post reported.
Hundreds of worshippers had gathered inside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township when gunfire erupted
Authorities said eight gunshot victims remained hospitalized Sunday night, including one in critical condition, according to Grand Blanc Township Police Chief Ron Renye. Witnesses described the chaos that followed the truck’s crash into the building.
Sanford was killed in an exchange of gunfire with a Grand Blanc Township police officer and a Michigan Department of Natural Resources officer who arrived on the scene within seconds of the first 911 calls
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'National Emergency' Declared as Trump Administration Officials Are Now Warning Americans To Be Vigilant As Cases Of Parasit...
CDC Confirms 1,645 Cyclospora Cases, More Than 5,100 Others Investigated
A rapidly growing foodborne illness outbreak has expanded far beyond what federal health officials first believed, with thousands of Americans now either confirmed or under investigation for a parasitic infection that can cause weeks of debilitating gastrointestinal illness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the outbreak has reached a level far exceeding recent years, with investigators now working across dozens of states to determine exactly what is making so many people sick.
The CDC announced Tuesday that 1,645 people have been confirmed to have cyclosporiasis after becoming infected in the United States since May 1, while more than 5,100 additional cases are under investigation.
Combined, health officials are now reviewing more than 7,000 possible cases across the country.
The CDC said confirmed infections have been identified in 34 states, with several separate investigations underway.
A major outbreak centered in Michigan and Ohio has now been epidemiologically linked to cases in West Virginia and Kentucky, suggesting those infections may share a common source.
Federal health officials say the number of confirmed cases is already more than six times higher than it was at this point last year.
If the confirmed and suspected cases are combined, this year’s total is roughly 27 times higher than the same period in 2025.
“This is much, much higher than what we’ve seen last year or the year before,” said Dr. Gwen Biggerstaff, deputy director of the CDC’s Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases.
“It’s a very big shift.”
The parasite, Cyclospora cayetanensis, causes cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness that commonly produces severe watery diarrhea, abdominal cramping, bloating, nausea, fatigue and loss of appetite.
Symptoms can last for several weeks and often return after initially improving.
According to CDC data, approximately one out of every eleven confirmed patients has required hospitalization.
No deaths have been reported.
Investigators believe at least 400 confirmed cases spanning Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky appear to be connected.
Michigan has emerged as the hardest-hit state, reporting more than 3,300 cases during its investigation.
State officials have interviewed more than 1,000 patients and say the evidence currently points toward lettuce or salad greens as a possible source.
However, investigators emphasized that no specific produce item, grower, supplier or distributor has been identified.
The CDC likewise says multiple investigations remain active and that no single nationwide source has been confirmed.
As concern has grown, Taco Bell announced Tuesday that it is voluntarily removing certain ingredients from menus at select restaurants as a precaution.
The company stressed that public health officials have not linked Taco Bell, any ingredient, supplier or restaurant to the outbreak.
“Public health officials have not confirmed a link to Taco Bell or any specific ingredient, supplier, restaurant or retailer,” the company said in a statement.
Cyclosporiasis is generally spread by consuming food or water contaminated with the microscopic parasite rather than through person-to-person contact.
Previous U.S. outbreaks have been traced to fresh produce, including raspberries, cilantro, basil and salad greens.
Federal investigators continue working with state health departments to identify the source of the current outbreak.
Until that source is identified, health officials are urging anyone who develops persistent watery diarrhea or other symptoms consistent with cyclosporiasis to contact a healthcare provider, particularly if symptoms continue for several days or lead to dehydration, CNN reported.
With confirmed cases continuing to climb and thousands more still under investigation, the CDC says the scope of the outbreak remains fluid as investigators work to determine exactly where the contamination originated.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
