Is Marcus Hale the Michigan Mormon church shooting suspect? What we know

Marcus Hale's name has surfaced as the Michigan Mormon church shooting suspect, but it appears to be part of an internet hoax or misinformation trend.

At least one person was killed and nine others injured in a mass shooting at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, on Sunday morning.

Firefighters and first responders work along a road while responding to the scene of a shooting at a church in Grand Blanc, Michigan, on September 28, 2025.(AFP)

Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said the suspect was a 40-year-old man from Burton, Michigan, who was shot and killed by police following a brief exchange of gunfire at the scene.

Unconfirmed suspect name surfaces on social media

Although authorities have not released the suspect’s name, several unverified names began circulating on X (formerly Twitter) in the hours following the attack.

One of the most prominent was "Marcus Hale", which some posts claimed was the shooter. These posts described the suspect as a “42-year-old ex-Army veteran with mental health struggles and a history of anti-Mormon social media posts.”

Who is Marcus Hale? A likely hoax name

The name Marcus Hale appears to be part of an emerging internet hoax or misinformation trend. It previously surfaced in false reports connected to the Charlie Kirk shooting, before the real suspect was identified.

As the name resurfaced following the Michigan church shooting, many users were quick to dismiss it as "fake."

"The name isn't known yet, we only know it's a 40~ year old male from Burton. The name "Marcus Hale" was also brought up as the perp while Charlie Kirk's shooter wasn't known yet for instance, it's a "thing" people do when there is no name; they attribute it to this fake person," one person wrote.

Another added, “Marcus Hale is a hoax name, sort of like whenever a mass shooting happens and people say Sam Hyde is the shooter.”

This comparison references a long-running internet meme falsely identifying comedian Sam Hyde as the suspect in various mass shootings.