A Michigan community was rocked by a senseless mass shooting at a Mormon church. Now, authorities believe the gunman may have been a devoted Trump supporter.
Forty-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford stormed into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township on Sunday morning, ramming his truck through the doors, opening fire on worshippers, and setting the building ablaze. Four people were killed, eight were wounded, and Sanford was fatally shot by police minutes later, The Guardian confirms.
Investigators found signs of political allegiance. A large Trump sign was displayed on a shed at Sanford’s home in Burton, just 15 minutes away. A Facebook photo shows him wearing a “Re-elect Trump 2020” shirt with the phrase “Make Liberals Cry Again” alongside his wife and son.
“There is still a lot to learn,” Donald Trump said on Truth Social. “This appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America.”
The FBI labeled the assault “an act of targeted violence” but offered no further explanation. Michigan State Police warned against jumping to conclusions, stating, “Any speculation about why the attack was carried out is exactly what it is — a speculation.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “All they know right now is this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith.”
Sanford, a Marine veteran who served in Iraq, had no party affiliation listed but had signed petitions opposing COVID emergency powers and supporting anti-abortion legislation.
He was killed in the church parking lot about eight minutes after the rampage began. The church, which served 150 members, was completely destroyed. The motive remains unclear, but the community is left grappling with the devastation he left behind.
