By Steve Neavling
The former Marine who opened fire inside a Michigan church before setting it ablaze in September was motivated by anti-religious beliefs, the FBI said.
Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, killed four people and injured nine others during a Sept. 28 attack at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, about 60 miles northwest of Detroit. Authorities said Sanford rammed his pickup truck into the chapel, opened fire on worshippers with an assault rifle, and then used gasoline to set the building on fire before police shot and killed him outside.
FBI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan said in a video statement Oct. 31 that investigators concluded the massacre “is a targeted act of violence believed to be motivated by the assailant’s anti-religious beliefs against the Mormon religious community,” The USA Today Network reports. She said the conclusion came “based upon countless hours of investigative efforts.”
The FBI has deployed more than 100 agents and analysts to the case and continues to pursue leads, Runyan said.
“We remember those who are no longer with us and continue to hold in our thoughts those who are still recovering,” she added. “This tragedy not only affected the Grand Blanc community but also left a lasting impact on our nation.”
Federal authorities had been largely silent since the shooting, citing the federal government shutdown.
“The ATF investigation of the attack at an LDS church in Grand Blanc Township has not been affected during the furlough,” Detroit-based ATF spokesperson Tracy Morris told The Detroit Free Press on Oct. 20.
Sanford, a Burton resident and former Marine who served from 2004 to 2008, had expressed hostility toward the Mormon faith days before the attack. Burton City Council candidate Kris Johns said Sanford called Mormons “the Antichrist” during a doorstep conversation.
“It was very much standard anti-LDS talking points that you would find on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook,” Johns said.
Two victims were shot to death, and two others were later found in the church rubble.
