Deadly Michigan Church Attack Hits Home for Utah Radio Host

Image (David Guralnick)

SALT LAKE CITY — The violent attack at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building in Michigan has struck a personal chord for a Utah radio host who once worshipped there as a child.

Authorities say a man drove a truck into the church, opened fire, and then set the building on fire. Four people were killed, and eight others were hurt before police shot and killed the suspect, identified as Thomas Sanford.

Mikey Foley, now a morning radio show host in St. George, grew up in Michigan and attended that very congregation.

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“Being LDS in Michigan means you’re pretty alone,” Foley said. “When I saw Michigan, my heart sank — then I saw Grand Blanc and I was horrified.”

Foley admitted that when he first heard about the attack, he assumed it happened in Utah, where the church is prominent.

“To see this burned-out building and the gym wall I used to lean against to avoid girls at stake dances — it’s surreal,” Foley said.

He says the congregation is hurting, and even from far away, he’s struggling to process the loss.

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