The man suspected of ramming his truck into a Mormon church in Michigan before entering and opening fire, killing two people and injuring at least nine others, has been identified as Thomas Jacob Sanford, according to the New York Post.
Sanford, 40, is a former Marine who served in the Iraq War from 2004 to 2008. Social media posts from his mother indicate his military background.
He lived in Burton, Michigan, about eight miles from Grand Blanc Township, where the tragedy unfolded. Reports say Sanford was married and had a young son.
Authorities believe Sanford deliberately crashed his Chevy Silverado into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints during Sunday services, when hundreds were inside. After the crash, he allegedly opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle. Investigators also discovered several improvised explosive devices at the scene, which bomb technicians are now examining. A fire was set inside the church, which officials suspect Sanford ignited.
President Donald Trump quickly condemned the attack, calling it “yet another targeted attack on Christians” in America.
The incident comes just a month after the deadly shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. President Trump has repeatedly vowed that his second administration will prioritize addressing anti-Christian violence and bias. Speaking earlier this month at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., he emphasized the need to confront this issue directly:
“There is a tremendous anti-Christian bias. We don’t hear about it. You hear about anti-Semitic, but you don’t hear about anti-Christian. They have a strong anti-Christian bias, but we’re ending that rapidly, I will tell you. We’re in a much different world today than we were one year ago.”