Following the tragic shooting and arson at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan—which claimed five lives—local officials have condemned the horrific act. At a Monday press briefing, Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye described the attack as “evil,” calling it “an evil act of violence.” He confirmed that five people were killed and eight injured, assuring the public that all victims had been accounted for.
“We are still in the process of clearing out the church,” Renye added, “but at this time, everyone is accounted for.”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer also addressed the incident, noting that authorities are still investigating the motive behind the attack. The suspect, 40-year-old Thomas “Jake” Sanford of Burton, Michigan, allegedly drove his vehicle through the church’s front doors, opened fire on worshippers, and then set the building on fire.
However, Whitmer’s response veered from Chief Renye’s strong condemnation when she urged caution against speculation, saying:
“While the good men and women working diligently are doing so with care, speculation at this juncture is unhelpful and can be downright dangerous.”
She called on the public to “lower the temperature of rhetoric,” to “keep your loved ones close,” and to “love your neighbors.”
Though Whitmer’s call for calm is reasonable, it falls flat because she stopped short of naming the political forces driving much of today’s toxic rhetoric. At a time when the nation is reeling from politically motivated violence—including assassination attempts on former President Trump and the murder of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk—Whitmer failed to acknowledge the role of the radical left in stoking this anger.
Instead, she offered a generic plea for peace without holding her own political allies accountable. For years, Democrats and many media voices have demonized Trump supporters with incendiary labels like “Nazis” and “fascists.” This sustained vilification has often been met with either tacit approval or outright celebration of violence against conservatives.
This isn’t just rhetoric. There have been instances of people applauding Charlie Kirk’s murder, defending violent attacks on ICE agents, and dismissing other deadly incidents linked to far-left extremism. If leaders genuinely want to cool the political climate, they must confront the agitators within their ranks who escalate division and violence, rather than treating every violent act as a vague failure of civility.
Whitmer’s cautious, half-hearted response effectively lets these bad actors off the hook.
To her credit, some Democrats—like Senator John Fetterman—have resisted fueling the fire. But many prominent figures continue to favor moral equivalence over moral clarity. Until that changes, calls for peace will continue to sound hollow.
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