Michigan Church Victim Remembered for Saving Another Worshipper

Craig Hayden, 72, was killed while trying to help another worshipper escape gunfire during Sunday’s shooting at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan. According to his family, Hayden gave his life to protect someone else. He would have celebrated his birthday next month.

His daughter, who survived the shooting, described the terrifying moment in a handwritten letter shared on a family GoFundMe page. She said she was kneeling next to her father when the shooter approached and that she stared into his eyes. “The only way I can describe it is I saw into his soul,” she wrote.

Acts of Bravery Inside the Church

Jennifer Hayden, Craig’s daughter‑in‑law, said both Craig and his daughter showed extraordinary courage. “The other hero would be his daughter, who talked the gunman down and distracted him,” she said. “He gave his life for another.”

Authorities said at least four people were killed and eight injured in the attack. Police identified the suspect as Thomas Jacob Sanford, who crashed a vehicle into the church, opened fire with an assault rifle, and later set the building on fire before being shot and killed by law enforcement.

Investigating Motives and Seeking Accountability

Investigators are still working to determine Sanford’s motive. Kris Johns, a Burton City Council candidate, told reporters he had spoken with Sanford just days earlier and that Sanford referred to members of the Latter‑day Saints as “the Antichrist.” Johns said the conversation felt unsettling but not overtly threatening at the time.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑day Saints released a statement expressing grief over the tragedy and solidarity with those suffering similar losses worldwide.

In her letter, Hayden’s daughter wrote that she forgave the shooter in that moment. “I never took my eyes off his eyes. Something happened. I saw pain, he felt lost. I deeply felt it with every fiber of my being. I forgave him, I forgave him right there, not in words, but with my heart.” She ended her letter by calling on people to reject hatred: “If we can stop the hate, we can stop the suffering. But stopping the hate takes all of us.”