GRAND BLANC TWP., Michigan (WTVG) – After an attack on a church in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, an unthinkable tragedy is now a grim reality.
“That was a scene that I had never experienced in my 33 years on the job,” said Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.
One day after a man set a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on fire and shot parishioners, 13 Action News spoke with Sheriff Swanson about how the nation was watching.
“I mean, this is something that people can relate to. What if it was my church? What if it was my school? Then you start putting yourself in that scenario. Then, when you’re watching it live, it makes it all the more real,” said Sheriff Swanson.
In the day that has followed, she sheriff said he’s focused on letting everyone in the community know they’re well-protected.
“You know, as the sheriff, I have responsibility for the whole county. So, we have, you know, 40+ officers yesterday. We have dozens of officers today, you know, assigned. We have 31 marked cars, you know, going over the whole community, when schools are let out, different faith-based communities are meeting. We wanted this community to know that, even while this was happening, we’ve got your back. We know that things are happening,” said Sheriff Swanson.
He continued, “I’m putting together an event on Friday to bring in all faiths and different theologies together to say, ‘How do you prepare for Sabbath? How do you prepare for Sunday?’ Because people want to know, what are we going to do next? We can’t take away what’s happened, but what are we going to do next? So, we’re going to keep messaging that, and I want people to know you have law enforcement, you certainly have a sheriff that’s going to make sure that your best interest is in mind and we’re going to be there to serve you.”
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This article was published by WTVG on 2025-09-29 23:11:00
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