‘We need to be prepared’: Former Michigan resident reacts to Grand Blanc shooting, fire
Sep 30, 2025, 9:21 AM
Little remained of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel the day after a former Marine opened fire and set the building ablaze in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
(AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah woman is explaining what it was like for her to find out The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meeting house she attended for over 20 years was the center of a shooting and fire Sunday.
Gail Gravenstreter just moved to Utah five years ago. Before that, her and her family lived in the Grand Blanc, Michigan community and went to the church building for 22 years. She said her family has been calling their friends in the area, checking in on them, while also struggling themselves.
“We’ve still been reeling from the Charlie Kirk thing, and then the death of the prophet and then this,” Gravenstreter said. “It just seems like a lot of trauma to process in a short amount of time.”
For the Gravenstreter’s, they say this is a personal tragedy.
“You know, you hear about things in the news, and other churches and other places under attack,” Gravenstreter said. “And then when it hits this close to home….it makes everything else that you’ve heard about real.”
Gravenstreter said it’s not just her family, but others spread throughout Michigan who have moved to Utah who are in shock and disbelief.
“Many of my friends said that they were in church yesterday when they got the text and a couple of them had to leave and just process this outside where they just sobbed,” Gravenstreter said.
She says looking into the future, all she can think of is, “We need to be prepared.”
“There’s nothing that was safer than that small community of Grand Blanc.” Gravenstreter said. “I mean, you know that the first responders were there so fast. Nurses were there so fast. It was quite remarkable how people were there to help so fast, so quickly. So I think better preparation in the future. I think we need to look at maybe the policy, and I think that we need to heighten our awareness.”
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