(Ed. Note: This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. Visit the newsroom online: bridgemi.com.)
By Robin Erb
and Lauren Gibbons
Bridge Michigan
GRAND BLANC — A marquee at Grand Blanc High School on Monday read: “We are #GB.”
This tight-knit community on Sunday was added to a growing list of American suburbs and cities where the unthinkable happened.
On Monday, the community continued to process Sunday’s shooting at a Grand Blanc Township church that left four congregants dead and several others wounded. They mourned. They searched for signs of hope.
“This is an evil act and does not define Grand Blanc,” Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said at a press conference Monday.
“It has to be a great evil to attack a church,” Burton Councilperson Christina Fitchett-Hickson said Monday.
The gunman, identified as a Burton resident, rammed his truck into the front doors of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints just before 10:30 a.m. Sunday, opened fire on the congregants and — using an accelerant — set the building on fire.
He killed at least four and injured several others before police killed him in a shootout at the scene. Later, police — still trying to determine a motive — blocked off a section of Atherton Road near Sanford’s listed address for hours. A bomb squad unit and other law enforcement continued to investigate the property late into the evening.
As morning broke Monday, police crews and barricades still surrounded the wreckage of the church, and the smell lingered from the thick smoke that had filled the sky during what should have been a church service.
“We are shattered,” said Amanda Oakman, 44.
She and a friend were driving by the church Sunday when they spotted what appeared to have been a ghastly accident in a church in the center of a “quiet neighborhood, quaint neighborhood,” she told Bridge Michigan.
But the driver exited the truck, and she saw him draw a weapon. Gunfire. Chaos.
“Surreal,” she said Monday. “This is a safe community. There is a sense of security.”
She punched in 911.
“I’m feeding them information. You never think this will happen to you,” she said.
She choked on the last word, adding more quietly: “You don’t forget something like that.”
About seven miles south of Flint, flags had been drawn down to half staff by Monday.
Seven miles south of Flint, Grand Blanc Township and Grand Blanc have a combined population of 46,500.
They make up a group of jurisdictions knitted so tightly that many of its residents see them as one, said Genesee County Commissioner Brian Flewelling.
On Monday, Flewelling struggled to find words. As fire chief of nearby Davison, he was among the first responders from departments from around Genesee and Oakland counties — towns of high school football rivalries and deep
roots.
Grand Blanc communities, he said, may have a higher tax base than much of nearby Davison, while Davison has more farmland.
But the differences end there, he said.
“We are hardworking families that love God and community,” he said.
Sunday sparkled in a way that Michigan does in the fall: brilliant blue skies, roadways lined with purples and yellows, and the trees tinged with autumn golds.
Flewelling was weed-whacking and doing other chores at the Davison firehouse when one of the crew rushed toward him.
“Did you hear the call?” he said.
Within minutes, Flewelling and four other firefighters were on their way to the already collapsed building. They didn’t ask questions of the crews already there.
“We understand the potential trauma of the first crews. We put our head down, go in and focus,” he said.
Services were just wrapping up at First Baptist Church of Holly nearby just after 11:30 a.m. when an usher announced the shooting.
By Robin Erb
and Lauren Gibbons
Bridge Michigan
GRAND BLANC — A marquee at Grand Blanc High School on Monday read: “We are #GB.”
This tight-knit community on Sunday was added to a growing list of American suburbs and cities where the unthinkable happened.
On Monday, the community continued to process Sunday’s shooting at a Grand Blanc Township church that left four congregants dead and several others wounded. They mourned. They searched for signs of hope.
“This is an evil act and does not define Grand Blanc,” Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said at a press conference Monday.
“It has to be a great evil to attack a church,” Burton Councilperson Christina Fitchett-Hickson said Monday.
The gunman, identified as a Burton resident, rammed his truck into the front doors of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints just before 10:30 a.m. Sunday, opened fire on the congregants and — using an accelerant — set the building on fire.
He killed at least four and injured several others before police killed him in a shootout at the scene. Later, police — still trying to determine a motive — blocked off a section of Atherton Road near Sanford’s listed address for hours. A bomb squad unit and other law enforcement continued to investigate the property late into the evening.
As morning broke Monday, police crews and barricades still surrounded the wreckage of the church, and the smell lingered from the thick smoke that had filled the sky during what should have been a church service.
“We are shattered,” said Amanda Oakman, 44.
She and a friend were driving by the church Sunday when they spotted what appeared to have been a ghastly accident in a church in the center of a “quiet neighborhood, quaint neighborhood,” she told Bridge Michigan.
But the driver exited the truck, and she saw him draw a weapon. Gunfire. Chaos.
“Surreal,” she said Monday. “This is a safe community. There is a sense of security.”
She punched in 911.
“I’m feeding them information. You never think this will happen to you,” she said.
She choked on the last word, adding more quietly: “You don’t forget something like that.”
About seven miles south of Flint, flags had been drawn down to half staff by Monday.
Seven miles south of Flint, Grand Blanc Township and Grand Blanc have a combined population of 46,500.
They make up a group of jurisdictions knitted so tightly that many of its residents see them as one, said Genesee County Commissioner Brian Flewelling.
On Monday, Flewelling struggled to find words. As fire chief of nearby Davison, he was among the first responders from departments from around Genesee and Oakland counties — towns of high school football rivalries and deep
roots.
Grand Blanc communities, he said, may have a higher tax base than much of nearby Davison, while Davison has more farmland.
But the differences end there, he said.
“We are hardworking families that love God and community,” he said.
Sunday sparkled in a way that Michigan does in the fall: brilliant blue skies, roadways lined with purples and yellows, and the trees tinged with autumn golds.
Flewelling was weed-whacking and doing other chores at the Davison firehouse when one of the crew rushed toward him.
“Did you hear the call?” he said.
Within minutes, Flewelling and four other firefighters were on their way to the already collapsed building. They didn’t ask questions of the crews already there.
“We understand the potential trauma of the first crews. We put our head down, go in and focus,” he said.
Services were just wrapping up at First Baptist Church of Holly nearby just after 11:30 a.m. when an usher announced the shooting.
Dan Beazley holds his 10-foot-cross near the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025 in Grand Blanc Township.
(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
Among the congregants,Debi and Martin Contino, parents of a toddler boy, went home to grab bottled water, applesauce, fruit snacks — “whatever we had on hand,” she said — to deliver them to emergency crews. They arrived at
the caution tape as the sun began to set.
It’s part of their fight against the growing violence in the world. A little kindnesses can make a difference in the end, they believe.
“We need a love epidemic. It doesn’t mean you have to like, agree with everything people say, but if you just love people and see the humanity …,” Debi Contino, 39, said, her voice trailing away.
U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin — a Democrat whose Holly farm is located just a few miles away from the tragedy — and other local leaders met with law enforcement Monday morning for a briefing on the shooting and subsequent fire.
Slotkin, Democratic U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet and Republican state Reps. Mike Mueller and David Martin, all of whom represent the region, urged the public to stand in solidarity with victims and condemn violence without
devolving into political divisiveness.
“I live just down the street … it’s where I come to eat and where I come to visit and drive by every day,” Slotkin told reporters outside the Grand Blanc Township police station. “It doesn’t matter what party you’re from, this kind of
thing just chills you to the bone.”
The leaders said they had not yet met with members of the church or families of the victims, but planned to in the coming days.
In the meantime, Slotkin said, the main focus is to lower the political temperature.
“I think there’ll be plenty of time for people to say what they want, to say the lessons learned out of this incident,” Slotkin said. “But for now, given the context and how many of these incidents have happened just over the past
month across the country, we thought it was important to come together and say, ‘We’re not going to make this a political football.’
“This is a community in pain, and we as leaders are here to try and calm people’s nerves, not spin it up with conspiracy theories,” she continued.
On Monday, Oakman, who’d called 911, drove to her job as an operations manager, knowing she probably wouldn’t be able to focus.
Still, she said, “It’s better than sitting at home watching everyone’s vehicles up and down our street.”
And there’s a new realization, she said:
Her neighbors: Theirs was a false sense of security, she said.
“Everybody there, it has just shattered everybody.”
the caution tape as the sun began to set.
It’s part of their fight against the growing violence in the world. A little kindnesses can make a difference in the end, they believe.
“We need a love epidemic. It doesn’t mean you have to like, agree with everything people say, but if you just love people and see the humanity …,” Debi Contino, 39, said, her voice trailing away.
U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin — a Democrat whose Holly farm is located just a few miles away from the tragedy — and other local leaders met with law enforcement Monday morning for a briefing on the shooting and subsequent fire.
Slotkin, Democratic U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet and Republican state Reps. Mike Mueller and David Martin, all of whom represent the region, urged the public to stand in solidarity with victims and condemn violence without
devolving into political divisiveness.
“I live just down the street … it’s where I come to eat and where I come to visit and drive by every day,” Slotkin told reporters outside the Grand Blanc Township police station. “It doesn’t matter what party you’re from, this kind of
thing just chills you to the bone.”
The leaders said they had not yet met with members of the church or families of the victims, but planned to in the coming days.
In the meantime, Slotkin said, the main focus is to lower the political temperature.
“I think there’ll be plenty of time for people to say what they want, to say the lessons learned out of this incident,” Slotkin said. “But for now, given the context and how many of these incidents have happened just over the past
month across the country, we thought it was important to come together and say, ‘We’re not going to make this a political football.’
“This is a community in pain, and we as leaders are here to try and calm people’s nerves, not spin it up with conspiracy theories,” she continued.
On Monday, Oakman, who’d called 911, drove to her job as an operations manager, knowing she probably wouldn’t be able to focus.
Still, she said, “It’s better than sitting at home watching everyone’s vehicles up and down our street.”
And there’s a new realization, she said:
Her neighbors: Theirs was a false sense of security, she said.
“Everybody there, it has just shattered everybody.”
Huizenga Applauds USDA Grants to
Boost Agriculture and Specialty Crop Growers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced $2,256,268 in federal funding through its Specialty Crop Block Grant Program to support producing, researching, and promoting specialty crops grown in Michigan.
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Holland Twp., has been a vocal leader in Congress for Michigan’s specialty crop growers and has been supportive of the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
“Specialty crop growers here in Michigan are some of the hardest working farmers in America,” Huizenga said. “I am glad to see this USDA program, which I have been a strong advocate for in Congress, continue to support important research and strengthen the competitiveness of Michigan’s world-class produce.”
Below is a list of some of Michigan’s grant recipients:
• $66,797 for evaluating new IPM Tools to advance spotted wing drosophila control for Michigan blueberry growers. The Michigan Blueberry Commission will support entomologists from Michigan State University to evaluate novel integrated pest management strategies to control spotted-wing drosophila and reduce reliance on insecticides for this damaging invasive pest.
• $99,000 for advancing anthracnose management in Michigan blueberries. The Michigan Blueberry Commission is requesting funding from the MDARD/ USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. In order to stay competitive in the fresh fruit market, Michigan growers are aiming to increase production and fruit quality. This research will evaluate anthracnose prediction models and improve grower management strategies.
• $100,000 promoting asparagus production through decision support and sustainable soil and nutrient management. The Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board, in cooperation with Michigan State University, will increase plant and soil health, farm profitability, and industry resilience to future weather and economic conditions.
• $97,941 for evaluating sustainable management systems for successful establishment of Michigan vineyards and orchards. The Michigan Grape Society, in partnership with Michigan State University seeks to understand the benefits and challenges of organic and regenerative management methods on the establishment of grape vineyards and apple orchards under Michigan climatic conditions when compared to conventional management methods.
• $89,444 for understanding and managing Armillaria and Phytophthora Root Rot in Michigan Christmas tree plantations. The Michigan Christmas Tree Association, working with Michigan State University, is seeking funding support to help growers manage Phytophthora and Armillaria root rot issues in Michigan Christmas tree production.
• $99,998 for integrated strategies for management of herbicide resistant weeds and bolting in celery. Michigan Celery Research, Inc., in cooperation with Michigan State University, will develop integrated strategies for managing herbicide-resistant weeds and evaluate new celery cultivars for bolt-resistance in order to reduce costs and improve profitability of celery production.
• $100,000 for alternative pesticides for nursery container production. The Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association, working with Michigan State University is seeking funding to support research to help nursery growers improve their productivity and profitability by developing alternative pesticide strategies for controlling problematic weeds in MI woody shrub container production.
• $99,108 for onion growers seeking to limit leaf spot to preserve yields. The Michigan Onion Committee, in partnership with Michigan State University, will identify effective management strategies aimed at protecting the crop’s foliage from Stemphylium leaf blight (SLB) (causal pathogen Stemphylium vesicarium) and preserving bulb quality and yield.
• $96,925 for sustainable management of root-knot nematodes in Michigan vegetable production systems. Michigan State University’s Applied Nematology Lab will address the growing threat of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) in vegetable production systems.
• $85,630 for nitrogen dynamics of various N sources and N-15 isotope fate in potato. The Michigan Potato Industry Commission (MPIC) will partner with researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) to better understand the fate of nitrogen fertilizers in the soil and where within the plant these products may reside at harvest (tuber vs vegetation).
• $98,822 for expanding specialty crop training in West Michigan. New City Neighbors will enhance specialty crop training in West Michigan by establishing an Agricultural Training Center in Grand Rapids that will serve as a new training site for the Michigan State University Organic Farmer Training Program.
• $83,470 to support specialty crop growers with food safety certification and workforce development in Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Kent, Montcalm, Muskegon, and Ottawa counties. The Area Community Services Employment & Training Council will enhance specialty crop workforce development by providing 65 workers with industry-recognized food safety and leadership certifications while engaging 6,000 students in exploring specialty crop-related careers across a
seven-county region.
U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Holland Twp., has been a vocal leader in Congress for Michigan’s specialty crop growers and has been supportive of the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
“Specialty crop growers here in Michigan are some of the hardest working farmers in America,” Huizenga said. “I am glad to see this USDA program, which I have been a strong advocate for in Congress, continue to support important research and strengthen the competitiveness of Michigan’s world-class produce.”
Below is a list of some of Michigan’s grant recipients:
• $66,797 for evaluating new IPM Tools to advance spotted wing drosophila control for Michigan blueberry growers. The Michigan Blueberry Commission will support entomologists from Michigan State University to evaluate novel integrated pest management strategies to control spotted-wing drosophila and reduce reliance on insecticides for this damaging invasive pest.
• $99,000 for advancing anthracnose management in Michigan blueberries. The Michigan Blueberry Commission is requesting funding from the MDARD/ USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. In order to stay competitive in the fresh fruit market, Michigan growers are aiming to increase production and fruit quality. This research will evaluate anthracnose prediction models and improve grower management strategies.
• $100,000 promoting asparagus production through decision support and sustainable soil and nutrient management. The Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board, in cooperation with Michigan State University, will increase plant and soil health, farm profitability, and industry resilience to future weather and economic conditions.
• $97,941 for evaluating sustainable management systems for successful establishment of Michigan vineyards and orchards. The Michigan Grape Society, in partnership with Michigan State University seeks to understand the benefits and challenges of organic and regenerative management methods on the establishment of grape vineyards and apple orchards under Michigan climatic conditions when compared to conventional management methods.
• $89,444 for understanding and managing Armillaria and Phytophthora Root Rot in Michigan Christmas tree plantations. The Michigan Christmas Tree Association, working with Michigan State University, is seeking funding support to help growers manage Phytophthora and Armillaria root rot issues in Michigan Christmas tree production.
• $99,998 for integrated strategies for management of herbicide resistant weeds and bolting in celery. Michigan Celery Research, Inc., in cooperation with Michigan State University, will develop integrated strategies for managing herbicide-resistant weeds and evaluate new celery cultivars for bolt-resistance in order to reduce costs and improve profitability of celery production.
• $100,000 for alternative pesticides for nursery container production. The Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association, working with Michigan State University is seeking funding to support research to help nursery growers improve their productivity and profitability by developing alternative pesticide strategies for controlling problematic weeds in MI woody shrub container production.
• $99,108 for onion growers seeking to limit leaf spot to preserve yields. The Michigan Onion Committee, in partnership with Michigan State University, will identify effective management strategies aimed at protecting the crop’s foliage from Stemphylium leaf blight (SLB) (causal pathogen Stemphylium vesicarium) and preserving bulb quality and yield.
• $96,925 for sustainable management of root-knot nematodes in Michigan vegetable production systems. Michigan State University’s Applied Nematology Lab will address the growing threat of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) in vegetable production systems.
• $85,630 for nitrogen dynamics of various N sources and N-15 isotope fate in potato. The Michigan Potato Industry Commission (MPIC) will partner with researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) to better understand the fate of nitrogen fertilizers in the soil and where within the plant these products may reside at harvest (tuber vs vegetation).
• $98,822 for expanding specialty crop training in West Michigan. New City Neighbors will enhance specialty crop training in West Michigan by establishing an Agricultural Training Center in Grand Rapids that will serve as a new training site for the Michigan State University Organic Farmer Training Program.
• $83,470 to support specialty crop growers with food safety certification and workforce development in Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Kent, Montcalm, Muskegon, and Ottawa counties. The Area Community Services Employment & Training Council will enhance specialty crop workforce development by providing 65 workers with industry-recognized food safety and leadership certifications while engaging 6,000 students in exploring specialty crop-related careers across a
seven-county region.
––––––––––––––––––––
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