A former U.S. Marine opened fire during a Sunday church service in Grand Blanc Township near Flint, Michigan, killing four people and wounding at least eight after crashing his vehicle into the building and setting it ablaze, police said. Authorities said the attacker, identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, of Burton, drove into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, tossed a flammable substance to start a fire, and then shot indiscriminately at worshippers.
Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renne said officers attempted to get Sanford to surrender, but he refused and was killed in an exchange of gunfire.
Sanford served in the United States Marine Corps from 2004 to 2008, rising to the rank of sergeant and deploying to Iraq between 2007 and 2008 as an automotive mechanic and vehicle recovery operator. After leaving the military, he worked as a truck driver and lived in Burton, where he purchased a home in 2016.
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Friends described Sanford as an avid outdoors-man who frequently posted photos of himself hunting and ice fishing, often wearing camouflage. He had a young son suffering from a rare pancreatic disorder that produces excessive insulin, a condition he once called “a nightmare.”
Authorities have not determined a motive. Police are searching Sanford’s home and conducting a forensic analysis of his phone to learn more about what triggered the attack.
