The individual charged with the deadly shooting and blaze on Sunday at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, is a 40-year-old local man with a history in the military.
Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, is from Burton, a city of nearly 30,000 people roughly 6 miles from Grand Blanc Township. Both are suburbs of Flint.
Authorities reported that the suspect crashed a vehicle into the church before exiting and firing an assault rifle. James Deir, the special agent leading the Detroit Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, mentioned the suspect likely used an accelerant to ignite the fire.
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At least four people were killed in the attack, two of whom were shot, and eight were injured.
Officers killed Sanford in a parking lot behind the church, police said.
The FBI’s special agent in charge for Michigan, Reuben Coleman, said Sunday night that the bureau is looking for a motive.
“The FBI is now leading the investigation and is investigating this as an act of targeted violence,” he said.
Thomas Jacob Sanford joined the Marine Corps in 2004 as an organizational automotive mechanic and vehicle recovery operator, based on Marine records.
In 2007, he started a nearly seven-month deployment under Operation Iraqi Freedom and left the corps a few months later, the records show.
He rose to the rank of sergeant, with his final assignment at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, before departing the Marines in June 2008, the records indicate.
Sanford earned several honors, 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 Defense Service Medal, the documents confirm.
A 2007 article from the Clarkston News, originating from Clarkston village, approximately 20 miles southeast of Grand Blanc Township, reported Sanford graduated from Goodrich High School in 2003, around 12 miles from where the incident occurred.
Goodrich Area Schools officials did not immediately respond to a request to confirm Sanford’s attendance and graduation from the high school.
At the time, according to the article, Sanford was soon to be deployed to Fallujah, Iraq.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the culture and the people of Iraq,” Sanford is quoted as saying. “I’ll return with the real news of the situation.”
The article says a grandfather served in the Navy and an uncle served in the Marines, both in World War II. His father, Thomas Sanford, is quoted as saying: “Jake’s going voluntarily and plans on returning to his community when his service is over. We are very proud of him.”
Thomas Jacob Sanford appeared to have a young child, according to a review of a Facebook page belonging to a woman believed to be his wife.
A voicemail message left for a phone number listed for his parents was not returned. Attempts to reach his wife were unsuccessful.
