An ER doctor ran into a burning Grand Blanc church again and again

The Grand Blanc Stake Center was engulfed in flames, but an emergency room doctor ran back inside.

Then he did it again. And again.

Dr. Bridger Frampton, his wife and five children were worshipping in the chapel when Thomas Sanford slammed his truck into the wall behind the pulpit, entered the building, set it on fire and started shooting at members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A fourth-year resident at nearby Henry Ford Genesys Hospital, Frampton is wired to help, say the ER nurses who watch him work every day.

“If you could morph somebody into being the best person alive, it’s him,” said Elyse Vinson, a registered nurse in the medical ICU at Genesys Hospital.

Nurses who are on strike stood in a picket line outside Genesys Hospital and shared stories with the Deseret News about Frampton’s heroics.

They also talked about the gunshot wounds sustained by a second Latter-day Saint ER doctor, Jared Hicken, and his 6-year-old daughter.

Victims killed, injured in the Michigan church attack

The Deseret News has confirmed that the following were killed in the attack:

• Craig Hayden, 78, a former Latter-day Saint bishop, father and grandfather.
• John Bond, 77, a U.S. Navy veteran and grandfather.
• Thelma Armstrong, a mother who attended the church service with her daughter.
• Pat Howard, 77, a husband.

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The Deseret News also has identified four Latter-day Saints who suffered gunshot wounds in the assault:

• Ben Phelps remains hospitalized.
• His son, D’Artagnan Phelps, 6, was shot in the arm and has returned home.
• Greg Mikat was shot three times and remains hospitalized.
• Jeff Kubiak was shot in the leg.

At least two others suffered shrapnel wounds caused by bullets:

• Dr. Jared Hicken, another ER doctor, was struck in the thigh.
• His 6-year-old daughter, Piper Hicken, was hit in the back.

Three people suffered smoke inhalation. Two were treated and released.

Frampton was the third. He is still in the hospital.

Bravery in the face of danger

Frampton and Hicken are native Utahns who earned undergraduate degrees from BYU.

Their bravery in the face of danger doesn’t surprise their colleagues.

“He wasn’t going to not run in there,” Vinson said. “That’s not him. He’s not going to stand by the wayside. He is going to push in effect for change and help people. That’s just him. He’s amazing.”

Frampton, who grew up in Springville, went into the building to retrieve some of his five children and to help other victims, Vinson said.

“He’s also a military veteran,” the nurse said. “It’s in his tactical training to do that.”

Hicken, who grew up in Roosevelt, was helping others escape when he and his daughter were wounded.

He described his experience to the nurses on the picket line when he visited them Tuesday. The nurses are on strike because the hospital’s new owner is seeking to increase the patient-to-nurse ratio, Vinson said.

Like others stampeding for their lives after Sunday’s attack began, Hicken sought to escape with family out the back of the church. The fire changed their plans, he told the nurses.

The Hickens opened a window and he helped his wife and children through it. A shot rang out as he turned to reach for another ward member he was helping through the window.

Hicken was hit in the thigh with bullet shrapnel. Shrapnel also struck his daughter.

Father and daughter were treated at separate hospitals and released.

Two of Frampton’s co-workers in the ER launched a GoFundMe page for the doctors, who are fourth-year residents at Genesys Hospital. Hicken is the chief of residents, and Frampton is the chief of education for the residents. The page has raised more than $273,000 as of Wednesday.

Vinson had high praise for both men. She has a personal connection to Frampton.

“I’ve worked with a lot of doctors, arm in arm, bedside,” she said. “He is not just a doctor. He treats the entire person, from their spirit, their mind, their body. He is always asking questions that typically nurses would worry about.”

When Vinson’s father was treated in the ER, Frampton “pushed and pushed and pushed to take care of my dad,” Vinson said. “Then he called me in the ICU weekly for updates for an entire year to say, ‘How you doing? How’s your family? Are you OK?’”

Even after Vinson’s father died, Frampton regularly visited her in the ICU to provide support.

Both men moonlight in the critical care unit on weekends to pick up extra hours.

“They’re always kind of running into the fire, per se,” Vinson said.

Frampton’s situation is critical. The same is true for Phelps, who was shot in the abdomen and underwent surgery on Tuesday, according to sources. Doctors anticipated more surgeries.

Phelps served a Latter-day Saint mission in France, where he fell in love with the people and the Three Musketeers, said his cousin, MacKenzie Mickelsen.

That’s how his son, D’Artagnan, got his name. The boy has two sisters. One is his fraternal twin.

Their father “still faces a long and difficult recovery,” according to a GoFundMe page meant to “help ease the financial burden for Benjamin, Danalee and their sweet family during this challenging time.”

The fundraiser has generated more than $108,000 as of Wednesday.

People are raising money for other victims and their families.

Greg Mikat was trying to stop the attack when he was shot three times. He is still in the ICU and faces a long recovery, according to a GoFundMe page that has raised over $105,000.

Kubiak, who was shot in the ankle, also rushed to help others when the shooter’s car crashed into the church. A bullet shattered his ankle.

Kubiak has been through two surgeries that removed the bullet and leather from his foot and faces a long, painful recovery, according to a GoFundMe page that has raised more than $65,000 as of Wednesday.

Kubiak’s wife, Marei, suffered injuries to her hands and feet when she was struck by glass shards.

People have also launched GoFundMe pages for the families of the four people killed.

• A page for Carol Hayden has raised $78,000 to help her with costs associated with the death of her husband, Craig.
• Another has raised nearly $73,000 for Stephanie Howard, wife of Pat Howard.
• More than $62,000 has been raised for Joanne Bond, wife of John Bond.
• Thelma Armstrong’s page was posted later than the others. It has raised $24,000.

Additionally, a group of Latter-day Saints launched a fundraiser for the wife and children of the shooter, Thomas Sanford. The man who started the effort, David Butler, said his goal was to engage in "pure religion," a concept from the book of James in the Bible.

“They will face financial hardship and psychological trauma as a result of this week’s horrifying events,” Butler wrote. “On top of that, one of the Sanford sons deals with serious medical challenges that require ongoing care, treatment and specialized support.”

The GiveSendGo page has raised $229,000.

The Book of Mormon calls Latter-day Saints to “mourn with those that mourn … and comfort those that stand in need of comfort," noted the fundraiser page for the Phelps family.

First responders also acted heroically on Sunday.

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Vinson and Eva Kerka, whose son plays on the same baseball team as Frampton’s son, were among a dozen nurses who left the picket line and rushed into the hospital to help when Sunday’s victims arrived. After 30 minutes, hospital administrators asked them to leave.

They did. They ran toward the fire, too, going to the burning church to help first responders and the Trillium movie theater where the Latter-day Saints were giving their statements to police and FBI agents.

Vinson is saddened by the frequency of violent attacks.

“It’s just unbelievable,” she said. “We’re talking about this weekly, and now it’s here. A lot of people thought, ‘No, that is big city life. It’s not. It’s happened to our neighbors, colleagues, friends, and it’s a lot.”

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