Investigators in Michigan are intensively examining the life and actions of a man who killed four people and injured eight others in a church attack over the weekend, as officials work to determine his motive behind the attack and know what drove him to commit the violence.
Authorities continue to classify the incident as an "act of targeted violence," with the motive remaining unclear, according to Reuben Coleman, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office, according to the New York Times.
The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford of Burton, Michigan, was killed in a gunfight with police shortly after the rampage. Sanford, a Marine Corps veteran who served from 2004 to 2008 and achieved the rank of sergeant, had attended high school locally.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was quoted as saying by Fox News that the FBI is exploring whether Sanford harboured religious animosity.
“All they know right now is this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith, and they are trying to understand more about this, how premeditated it was, how much planning went into it, whether he left a note”, she said.
Authorities are also examining Sanford’s property, mobile phone records and speaking with his family, who have cooperated with investigators.
The attack occurred Sunday morning at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Grand Blanc Township, a community of about 8,000 near Flint.
Sanford drove a pickup truck into the building, brandishing two American flags, opened fire on worshippers, and set the church ablaze. Two victims were killed by gunfire, and two more were found later in the charred remains of the building.
Eight others, ranging in age from 6 to 78, were hospitalised for gunshot wounds or smoke inhalation, as per Reuters.
Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye confirmed that all worshippers had been accounted for and said authorities are still investigating how the fire began, noting Sanford had likely used an accelerant such as petrol, reported BBC.
Officials have interviewed more than 100 people connected to the incident as part of the probe.
A separate account from a local Burton City Council candidate, Kris Johns, said Sanford had described members of the church as "the antichrist" during a conversation a week before the attack.
Google Maps images show a Trump campaign sign at Sanford’s residence, though officials have not linked this to his actions.
The Michigan shooting marks the 324th mass shooting in the US in 2025, according to the Gun Violence Archive. It comes a month after a shooting at a Catholic church in Minneapolis and coincidentally involved another 40-year-old Iraq War Marine veteran in a separate North Carolina shooting.
Officials, including Governor Gretchen Whitmer, are urging the public to avoid speculation. “While it might feel natural to want to know why this attack happened, speculating is unhelpful and it can be downright dangerous,” she said, as cited by BBC.
The FBI has deployed crisis response teams, bomb technicians, and more than 100 agents to assist in the ongoing investigation.
Church representatives emphasised the sanctity of places of worship and called for healing. “We pray for peace and healing for all involved,” said Doug Andersen, a spokesman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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