The individual suspected of fatally shooting worshippers at a church and then setting the building on fire has been identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford.
Sanford allegedly opened fire inside a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Michigan during a Sunday service, resulting in the death of at least two individuals and injuring several others. Police authorities reported that Sanford was shot by police after the incident.
According to information from his mother’s Facebook page, the suspect is said to be a former US Marine veteran who served in Iraq from 2004 to 2008. Social media accounts linked to Sanford suggest he is a family man with a wife and young son.
The tragic event took place in Grand Blanc, situated 60 miles north of Detroit, where a man drove a pickup truck through the church’s front door and proceeded to open fire, followed by deliberately setting the building ablaze, as confirmed by Police Chief William Renye.
After exiting the church, the suspect engaged in gunfire with two officers who pursued him. The fire at the church was extinguished after hours of flames and smoke billowing from the site, and first responders began searching through the aftermath for potential additional victims.
Sheriff Renye stated, “We do believe we will find some additional victims once we find the area where the fire was.” The number of injured individuals initially reported was nine, but later it was revealed that one more person had died from a gunshot wound at a hospital.
Authorities are currently investigating the motive behind the incident and are searching the suspect’s residence in Burton for further clues. No additional information has been disclosed about the suspect, including his potential affiliation with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
This tragic event is part of a series of attacks on places of worship in the US over the past two decades, including a recent incident in Minneapolis where two children were killed during Mass at the Church of the Annunciation.
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the situation and praised the FBI for their response, as they are dispatching 100 agents to the location. Trump emphasized the need to end the violence in the country, urging for prayers for the victims and their families.
The church, located in Grand Blanc Township near residential neighborhoods and a Jehovah’s Witness church, is surrounded by a parking lot and a vast lawn. The township, with a population of around 40,000 people, is located outside Flint.
Timothy Jones, a member of another Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation, shared that his family had attended a youth fall festival at the Grand Blanc Township ward the night before the incident. As news of the shooting spread during their Sunday service, the church initiated a lockdown and received police support as a precautionary measure.
Stay updated with the latest news by subscribing to email updates for the day’s top stories.