Who was Thomas Jacob Sanford, the US military veteran behind the Michigan church shooting?

A Sunday service turned into horror after a gunman targeted a Mormon church in American’s Michigan, ramming his vehicle into the structure before opening fire on congregants and setting the building on fire, killing four people and injuring at least eight others.

The gunman, identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, was later killed by the police in the parking lot, with Grand Blanc Police Chief William Reyne saying the suspect was neutralised by the authorities eight minutes after the first emergency call was received.

Following the attack, US President Donald Trump called the events “horrendous” and urging prayers for the victims and their families. “This appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America,” he posted on Truth Social.

But who was Thomas Jacob Sanford, the man behind the attack? And how did the shooting unfold?

How did the horror unfold at the Mormon church?

On Sunday, hundreds of people, including women and children, had collected at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, for their usual service.

However, around 10.25 am, a man smashed his pickup truck through the front doors of the church, later emerging with an assault rifle and began firing on worshippers. The attacker later unleashed further havoc when he intentionally set a fire that turned into a massive blaze.

As the suspect fled the church, he exchanged gunfire with two officers and was killed.

Eyewitnesses, who were present at the church at the time of the incident, recount the horror they experienced when the attacker went on a rampage. A Sunday school teacher, identified as Paula, told ABC affiliate station WXYZ in Detroit, “We heard a big bang and the doors blew.”

“My church is gone. I joined the church 38 years ago in that building and now it’s gone,” Paula said. “It’s devastating to know that I’ve lost friends and to see somebody would do this to our church.”

A security analyst noted that the attacker appeared to use a multiple tactics designed to increase chaos and create a “fatal funnel,” as per a report in The Fortune.

Donell Harvin, a homeland security and public health emergency expert at Georgetown University, told CNN on Sunday that the attacker may have conducted pre-operational surveillance and come up with a plan that maximises fatalities and damage. “This looks like a relatively new type of what we call hybrid threat where not only you’re vehicle-ramming to maybe get some chaos but you’re also shooting into a crowd — and may have, it seems, potentially started the fire,” he added.

Who was Thomas Jacob Sanford, the attacker behind the tragedy?

The man suspected of opening fire and unleashing horror at the Mormon church in Michigan was later identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, a 40-year-old veteran of the Iraq War.

Forty-year-old Sanford of Burton, Michigan, according to service records, graduated from a nearby high school in 2004. He served in the Marines from 2004 to 2008, and was deployed to Iraq from 2007 to 2008.

Ryan Lopez, a former high school classmate, told New York Times that he regularly saw Sanford around. “He was happy to see me, he just seemed normal,” Lopez said to New York Times. Sanford was an avid hunter of geese, turkey and deer and had seemed like a typical “country kid” while growing up. After high school, both men joined the Marines, where Sanford did motor transport work.

According to social media accounts, Sanford was married with a child. According to a GoFundMe page from 2015, the family was in need of donations to help pay for the medical care of Sanford’s son who was born with a rare genetic disorder. The son suffers from a congenital disease known as Congenital Hyperinsulinism, which requires lengthy hospital stay and several surgeries to remove portions of the pancreas.

Sanford’s records show that during his service, he received the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and National Defense Service Medal.

Sanford’s last posting was in the 2nd Maintenance Battalion of Combat Logistics Regiment 25 at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Authorities are trying to ascertain the motive behind Sanford’s attack on the church in Michigan. Investigators are conducting a search of the suspect’s property and examining his cell-phone records as they work to establish a motive.

While officials try to determine more about Sanford’s background, his political views remain unclear. In a 2019 page, he is seen wearing a Trump 2020 campaign shirt. Moreover, a Google Street view of a home that public records identify as Sanford’s primary address shows a blue ‘Trump-Pence’ yard sign attached to a backyard fence.

What next?

The attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Michigan has resulted in an outpouring of grief.

Mormon church leaders called the incident a “tragic act of violence” and urged members to cooperate with investigators. “A tragic act of violence occurred today at a chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan. During Sunday worship services a gunman opened fire, and early reports indicate that multiple individuals were injured. We ask for cooperation with local authorities as details become available.”

US President Donald Trump also condemned the attack. “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 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.”

Meanwhile, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced plans to create a task force to protect places of worship in the wake of the shooting.

Notably, the shooting at the Mormon church in Michigan is the 324th mass shooting in the US this year. It came just hours after another gunman opened fire at a waterfront bar in Southport, North Carolina, killing three and injuring at least eight.

With inputs from agencies

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