A U.S. Marine veteran has been identified as the suspect responsible for killing four people, injuring eight others, and starting a fire at a Mormon church in Michigan on Sunday.
According to The New York Post, law enforcement officials confirmed that Thomas Jacob Sanford, a 40-year-old U.S. Marine veteran, has been identified as the suspect in Sunday’s deadly church attack. The outlet noted that the Marine veteran rammed his Chevy Silverado truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, opened fire on hundreds of church attendees, and allegedly set the church on fire before being killed in a shootout with police officers.
A local police officer and a Department of Natural Resources officer responded to Sunday’s incident in roughly 30 seconds, according to The New York Post.
A video shared on X, formerly Twitter, shows flames and smoke rising from the Mormon Church in Michigan.
The New York Post reported that a social media post from the deceased suspect’s mother indicates that the Marine veteran served in Iraq from 2004 to 2008.
A picture of Sanford was shared on social media alongside a video of the smoke rising from the Mormon church in the aftermath of the Marine veteran’s attack.
According to Fox News, law enforcement officials told reporters on Monday that Sanford was previously arrested for operating while intoxicated and for burglary. Grand Blanc Police Department Chief William Renye told reporters, “The suspect from yesterday has been arrested by law enforcement in the past.”
Fox News reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating Sunday’s incident to determine the motive behind the fatal shooting and church fire.
READ MORE: Pic: 2 killed, 2 wounded in church shooting in Kentucky
During a Monday press conference, Reuben Coleman, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office, told reporters, “This is an act of targeted violence, and we are continuing to work to determine a motive.
Following the deadly church shooting on Sunday, President Donald Trump released a statement on Truth Social, saying, “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. 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 president added. “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!”
