Michigan church murder suspect identified as ex-marine Thomas Jacob Sanford, accused of arson after shooting

Thomas Jacob Sandford is alleged to have opened fire inside a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Michigan during a Sunday service before setting the building on fire

The man suspected of carrying out a deadly attack on worshippers at a church before setting it alight has been identified. Thomas Jacob Sanford is believed to have opened fire inside a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Michigan during a Sunday service, before setting the building on fire.

The horrific incident resulted in at least two fatalities and several injuries before police shot him. According to his mother’s Facebook page, the suspect is reportedly a former US Marine who served in Iraq from 2004 to 2008. Social media accounts thought to be linked to Sanford also suggest he’s a family man, with a wife and young son.

Hundreds of people were inside the church in Grand Blanc, situated 60 miles north of Detroit, when a man drove a pickup truck through the front door, then exited the vehicle and began shooting, as reported by Police Chief William Renye. It is believed that he “deliberately” set the building on fire.

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After the suspect fled the scene, two officers chased him down and “engaged in gunfire,” according to Sheriff Renye, resulting in the suspect being killed. Flames and smoke were seen billowing from the church for hours before the fire was extinguished, reports the Mirror.

First responders were then left to sift through the wreckage.

“We do believe we will find some additional victims once we find the area where the fire was,” Sheriff Renye said.

Police initially stated that nine people had been wounded. Sheriff Renye later confirmed that one additional person had succumbed to gunshot injuries at hospital.

He did not clarify whether that individual had been counted among the injured.

Officers had not yet established a motive for the blaze or shooting. Investigators are examining the suspect’s home in neighbouring Burton.

Authorities provided no further information about the suspect, including whether he belonged to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly referred to as the Mormon church.

This marked the most recent in a series of shooting incidents targeting places of worship across the US over the past two decades, including one in August which claimed the lives of two children during Mass at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis.

President Donald Trump confirmed he had been briefed on the shooting. In a social media statement, he praised the FBI, whom local officials said are deploying 100 agents to the region, for their response.

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

The church structure, surrounded by a car park and expansive lawn, sits close to residential neighbourhoods and a Jehovah’s Witness church. It is located in Grand Blanc Township, a community of approximately 40,000 residents near Flint.

Timothy Jones, 48, revealed that his family belongs to a different congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located about 15 minutes away. However, his children were present at the Grand Blanc Township ward on the eve of the shooting for a youth autumn festival.

He and his family relocated to Flint two years ago, largely due to the robust faith community in the region.

As news of the shooting reached his congregation via text messages and phone calls during their Sunday service, the church was put on lockdown and police arrived as a safety measure, he explained. His children were “frantically, just trying to get word that people were okay.”