FBI searches for motive after gunman identified as ex-Marine kills 4

At least four people were killed and eight people were wounded when an ex-Marine smashed a pickup truck into a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Michigan on Sunday, opened fire and set the building ablaze, officials say.

The attack occurred in Grand Blanc Township, Mich., near Flint, at about 10:25 a.m. during a crowded Sunday service.

The attacker, identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford of nearby Burton, Mich., drove a pickup truck bearing two American flags into the side of the church building, got out and started shooting with an assault-style rifle, according to police. Sanford was fatally shot by responding officers minutes later in the parking lot.

Authorities believe he used gas to start the fire. Improvised explosive devices were also found at the scene, but it’s unclear whether he used them.

It took several hours for firefighters to extinguish the blaze. Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye told reporters on Monday that everyone who was inside the church has been accounted for, adding that officials are still in the process of clearing the structure.

The victims have not been publicly identified.

Dr. Michael Danic, chief of staff at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital, said that of the eight people who were wounded, five were treated for gunshot wounds and three for smoke inhalation. Two remain in critical condition. The victims ranged in age from 6 to 78 years, Danic said.

Investigators search for motive

A motive for the attack has not been identified. Reuben Coleman, acting special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, said the bureau is investigating it “an act of targeted violence.”

According to military records obtained by the Detroit News, Sanford served in the U.S. Marines from June 2004 through June 2008 as an automotive mechanic and vehicle recovery operator. He was deployed to Iraq from August 2007 through March 2008 and had the rank of sergeant.

Sanford married a woman in 2016 and had a 10-year-old son, according to court records obtained by the New York Times.

Renye said that Sanford had an arrest record that included burglary and impaired driving offenses.

It’s unclear whether he was a member of the church.

The 150-member congregation is part of the massive Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon Church, based in Salt Lake City. Russell Nelson, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died on Saturday. He was 101 years old.

ABC News reported that investigators are working to determine whether the timing of Sunday’s assault was in any way connected to Nelson’s death.

Kris Johns, a city council candidate in Burton, told the Detroit Free Press that he spoke to Sanford while canvassing last week, and that Sanford expressed animosity toward the church, describing Mormons as “the antichrist.”

“It was very much standard anti-LDS talking points that you would find on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook,” Johns recalled, adding that Sanford was otherwise “extremely friendly” and did not seem violent.

He said that when he saw Sanford’s photo circulating on television and social media as the shooting suspect, he contacted police and the FBI.

Witnesses describe chaotic scene

The attack occurred halfway through the two-hour service, when some congregants normally leave.

“We heard a big bang and it blew the doors in the church,” Paula Maser, who was inside, told WEYI-TV. “And then everything after that was chaos.”

Renye said worshippers inside the building shielded children and moved them to safety.

Paul Kirby, who was also inside the church, told WTOL-TV that when the pickup crashed into the building, he and other worshippers initially thought it was an accident and went to help the driver.

“That’s when I saw the shooter start aiming at people and starting to shoot,” Kirby said. “I turned around and started running for the door.”

Kirby did not think he’d make it out alive.

“I was panicking and trying to get through the doors as fast as possible, and just expecting a bullet in my back,” he said. “I was just waiting for it.”

Other witnesses who were helping older churchgoers into their cars said they saw the gunman emerge from the building.

“We were trying to gather as many people as we could,” a member of the church named Brian, who was in the parking lot, told WXYZ. “There was a couple of elderly ladies that we were trying to get into safety, so we got them into our car. I saw the active shooter come out of the building, and at that point, I just started trying to drive away.”

Latest deadly church shooting in U.S.

The attack in Michigan came just over a month after two children were killed and more than a dozen others were wounded in a shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis during the first Mass of the school year.

President Trump condemned Sunday’s shooting in a Truth Social post.

“I have been briefed on the horrendous shooting that took place at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Grand Blanc, Michigan,” Trump wrote. “The FBI was immediately on scene, and will be leading the Federal Investigation, and providing full support to State and Local Officials. The suspect is dead, but there is still a lot to learn. This appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America. The Trump Administration will keep the Public posted, as we always do. In the meantime, PRAY for the victims, and their families. THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!”

It was also the second mass shooting in the United States in less than 24 hours. On Saturday night, a man on a boat opened fire on a waterfront bar in Southport, N.C., killing three people and injuring five others.

At Monday’s press conference, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer condemned the latest deadly shooting to impact her state.

“We’ve seen gun violence in our schools, stores, parades, festivals and our houses of worship,” Whitmer said. “These are places that we go to feel connected, to feel safe, to be together. But today, this place has been shattered by bullets and broken glass.

“This might be a familiar pain, but it hurts all the same every time,” she added. “We cannot keep living our lives like this.”