The attacker who rammed a truck through the front doors of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints church in Michigan, sprayed bullets from an assault rifle and started a deadly fire was an ex-Marine with no known motive, authorities said early Monday.
Four churchgoers were killed, two in the initial gunfire and two more who were found later in the ruins of the destroyed building. Another eight people were injured and airlifted to hospitals, one in critical condition Sunday evening and the other seven stable, police said. With some people unaccounted for as of late Sunday, authorities noted that the number of fatalities could rise.
The suspect, 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, was shot dead by police, making for a total of five people killed, authorities said. Police were still working Monday to determine what might have motivated Sanford, who lived in nearby Burton, Mich.
Sanford served as a U.S. Marine from June 2004 through June 2008, including a deployment to Iraq from August 2007 through March 2008, The Detroit News reported, citing U.S. Marines records. He was a sergeant who worked as a mechanic and vehicle recovery operator, The Detroit News said.
Friends of Sanford’s had noticed unnerving behavioral changes in the days before the attack, one of them told WDIV-TV. Longtime friend Kara Pattison told the outlet that just two days earlier, Sanford had pretended he was going to run her over, along with her 16-year-old daughter, when they crossed the street in front of his truck.
“We started to cross, and the truck like gunned its engine and came at us,” Pattison told WDIV. “I blocked my daughter and we jumped back, and then the window rolled down, and it was Jake. He was laughing. He’s, like, ‘Oh, got you guys.’”
Police were also investigating bomb threats made at other area churches in the wake of the attack, Michigan State Police Lt. Kim Vetter said, though no bombs were found.
The Grand Blanc Township Police Department was offering counseling services for anyone who came in from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. starting Monday, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said.
The Grand Blanc Community Schools System closed all 13 of the district’s campuses on Monday, from preschool to high school, NPR reported.
Renye highlighted the heroism shown by many of the hundreds of worshippers who had packed the church for Sunday service.
“They were shielding the children who were also present within the church, moving them to safety,” he said Sunday. “Just hundreds of people, just practicing their faith. Just extreme courage, brave … and that’s the type of community that we are.”
With News Wire Services
