A shooting at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Michigan has left four people dead, with the police killing the lone suspect. The shooting suspect lived in a town near the church and is a military veteran who allegedly went on a tirade criticizing Mormons.
According to a report from the Detroit Free Press, Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, of Burton, Mich., ran his pickup truck into the side of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the town of Grand Blanc on September 28, setting the building ablaze. So far, authorities have shared that four people have died as a rescue operation is still underway.
The outlet spoke with Burton City Council candidate Kris Johns, who said that he met Sanford while canvassing just days before the Sunday incident at the church, noting that the pair spoke briefly. Johns said that Sanford’s critique of the Mormons was ” standard anti-LDS talking points that you would find on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook”, and didn’t get a sense that the man was violent. Johns told the outlet that he also noticed a Trump sign in the man’s front yard.
President Donald Trump framed the shooting as “yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America” on his Truth Social platform. President Trump did not make mention that Sanford was a possible supporter of his.
—
Photo: Getty
