Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, the U.S. Marine veteran who drove into a Grand Blanc, Michigan, LDS Mormon Church on Sunday, spoke with a local city council candidate last week who said Sanford launched into a tirade against Mormons calling the religion “the anti-christ.”
Sanford killed four in his attack. Two law enforcement officers from the township and DNR killed Sanford in the parking lot of the church.
On Sunday morning, Sanford drove his Chevy truck through the entrance of the church, got out, and began shooting with an assault rifle. Officials believe he threw gasoline around and ignited a fire, which extensively damaged the church. Sanford shot 10 victims. Two died of gunshot wounds, and two others were found dead in the rubble of the church later. Two victims remain in critical condition. All church members are now accounted for as the scene has been combed for survivors.
Sanford lived in the community of Burton with his wife and 10-year-old child. A Burton city council candidate, Kris Johns, was canvassing Burton neighborhoods when he spoke with Sanford extensively on September 22.
He said Sanford began asking him open-ended questions about Mormonism, first asking how Johns felt about the religion. And the more questions Sanford asked on the topic, the more pointed they became, Johns said. He said Sanford asked him about the Mormon bible, the role Jesus plays in the religion, the history of the LDS church and Joseph Smith Jr., the founder of Mormonism and the LDS movement.
While investigators haven’t confirmed Sanford’s motive, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said he “hated people of the Mormon faith.” President Donald Trump, meanwhile, called the shooting an “attack on Christians.”
Sanford not trans:
City council candidate Johns confirmed there was a Trump/Vance 2024 sign on Sanford’s fence.
Detroit Free Press, NBC, the Independent