Decorated US Marine, Served In Iraq: All About Thomas Sanford, Michigan Church Shooter

The man, who crashed his vehicle through the front doors of a Mormon church in Michigan on Sunday and opened fire on the congregation, has been identified by police as a 40-year-old man from the nearby town of Burton who had a decorated career as a US Marine. The authorities said they believe the shooting suspect, Thomas Jacob Sanford, had intentionally set fire to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel while hundreds of people were inside for a service. 

At least four people were killed and eight others injured in the incident. Police shot and killed the suspect, authorities said.

Police Chief William Renye told reporters that officers responded to a 911 call and were at the church within 30 seconds and killed the shooter about eight minutes later, Renye said. After the suspect left the church, two officers pursued him and "engaged in gunfire".

The police chief, however, did not provide a motive for the attack.

About The Suspect Shooter

Citing official records, The New York Times reported the gunman had graduated from a nearby high school in 2004. The man, who also went by the name Jake, served in the Marines from 2004 to 2008. 

A spokesman of the US Marine Corps told NBC that Sanford was an 'organisational automative mechanic' as well as a vehicle recovery operator and rose to the rank of sergeant during the service. He also earned several medals during his time in service, including the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defence Service Medal.

He was reportedly deployed to Iraq from 2007 to 2008, but his last assignment was in the 2nd Maintenance Battalion of Combat Logistics Regiment 25 at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, the spokesperson said.

Reactions To Michigan Church Shooting

Ryan Lopez, a former high school classmate of the suspected shooter, told The New York Times that he was still trying to process the news. He said he regularly saw Sanford around town, and nothing had seemed out of the ordinary.

"He was happy to see me, he just seemed normal," Lopez said. He added that Sanford was an avid hunter of geese, turkey and deer and had seemed like a typical "country kid" while growing up. 

Sanford married his high school mate in 2016, and the couple have a 10-year-old son, according to court records. His family has not released any statement at the time of filing of this report. 

Brad Schneemann, whose home is about 400 yards (365 meters) from the church, told The Associated Press that he and his daughter heard "two rounds of four to five shots" around 10:30 a.m. "Then, we really didn't hear anything for a while" before they left their home to see what was going on.

Timothy Jones, 48, said his family is part of another Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation, or ward, about 15 minutes away, but that his children were at the Grand Blanc Township ward Saturday night for a youth fall festival. He and his family moved to Flint two years ago in large part because of how strong the faith's community is in the area, he said.

Mass Shooting In The US

It was the second mass shooting in the US in less than 24 hours. On Saturday night, a man in a boat opened fire on a crowd in Southport, North Carolina, killing three and injuring five.

President Donald Trump said in a social media post that he was briefed on the Michigan shooting and applauded the FBI for its response. Local authorities said the FBI was sending 100 agents to Grand Blanc Township, a community of roughly 40,000 people outside Flint.

"PRAY for the victims, and their families. THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!" Trump wrote.