Lisa Louis held her father as he bled to death on the floor of their Mormon church, callously gunned down during Sunday morning services.
Around her was fire, smoke, blood, screaming, and chaos as the church burned and worshippers ran for their lives from the crazed gunman.
Just moments before, Thomas Jacob Sanford drove his pickup into the chapel in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, igniting the building and opening fire.
Louis looked up into the former US Marine’s eyes as he prepared to kill her, too, until he stared back, as if into her soul.
He asked her if she believed in Jesus, and when she replied ‘yes’, her life was spared.
‘Her blue eyes welled with tears, red and swollen. As I combed through my memories, all I could visualize were those blue eyes,’ she wrote in a poignant handwritten note forgiving the person who killed her father.
‘When he came over to me I felt very calm, peaceful even as I kneeled next to my dad, my hands still on dad.’
Lisa Louis (left) wrote a heartfelt letter recounting the encounter with the Michigan church shooter, while she cradled her father on the floor during his final moments.
Louis’ father, the congregation’s retired bishop Craig Hayden (pictured), was killed along with three others during Sunday morning’s rampage
Numerous sources with family members involved in the shooting informed the Daily Mail that during Sanford’s attack, where he shot at church attendees, he questioned them by asking, ‘Do you believe in Jesus Christ?’
Those who quickly answered ‘yes’ were spared, but any who hesitated or, shell-shocked by the fire and carnage, didn’t answer immediately, were shot.
Louis’ father, the congregation’s retired bishop Craig Hayden, either didn’t answer fast enough or was caught in the chaos of flying bullets.
‘It felt like a long time – staring into his eyes while answering his question. The only way I can describe it is I saw into his soul,’ Louis wrote.
‘I never took my eyes off his eyes, something happened, I saw pain, he felt lost, I deeply felt it with every fiber of my being.
‘I forgave him, I forgave him right there, not in words, but with my heart. I saw into his soul and he saw into mine. He let me live.’
Sanford’s hostility towards Mormons and his battles with post-traumatic stress disorder are well-known. However, the reason behind his specific question remains uncertain.
Sanford was part of a Christian family and some Christians believe Mormons are heretics or place the sect’s founder John Smith above Jesus.
In his violent spree, four individuals lost their lives and eight more were wounded, including a child who was only six years old, before he was killed by police during a confrontation in a parking lot.
Louis’ letter describing her moment with Sanford during the attack, and how she forgave him=
Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, rammed his pickup truck into the Grand Blanc Township church in Michigan on Sunday morning before opening fire and setting it ablaze
Some victims were shot as they ran to help Sanford, believing he had a medical episode behind the wheel – until he opened fire.
Louis wrote that when she later saw a photo of Sanford, she was confused to find he instead had brown eyes.
‘When I gave a description of Thomas to the FBI, I told them he had blue eyes,’ she wrote.
‘I know what I saw, it was seared in my brain. In the middle of the night while texting my sister, I realized it was my eyes that I saw.’
Louis wrote that she forgave Sanford because she wanted love to triumph over hate, as her religion taught her.
‘I am sharing this now because I believe it is just one of many reasons I was there, Just one of the reasons. I needed to share this for Papa – for Dad, for anyone who can set aside hate,’ she wrote.
‘Maybe that time won’t be now for you, but maybe one day, what we say and do matters. Fear breeds anger, anger breeds hate, hate breeds suffering.
‘If we can stop the hate we can stop the suffering. But stopping the hate takes all of us.
‘I promise you if for one month you can stop using crude language, if you stop taking the Lord’s name in vain you will feel a change.
‘We can start there. If you stop letting anger in, hate can’t spread, We can stop it. We can stop the anger and the hate and stop suffering somewhere for someone.’
Sanford’s silver truck, decked out with American flags, rammed into the church before he opened fire with an assault rifle on hundreds of congregants, including children
Louis’ brother-in-law Terry Green hailed her as a hero for distracting Sanford long enough for other worshippers to flee the burning church.
‘In my eyes, she is a hero. The time she spent with the gunman bought precious time for others to escape and first responders to arrive. She saved lives,’ he said.
‘My beloved father-in-law was killed. He did not suffer and is at peace with Jesus in heaven. For this we take solace.
‘The rest of our family members lives were spared. Others, not so lucky. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.’
Green’s wife, and Louis’ sister, Julie Green shared the letter online and admitted she too had forgiven Sanford.
‘I always wondered how people were able to forgive the person that caused harm to another human that they loved but I can tell you first hand it actually is very easy,’ she wrote.
‘I prayed for the man that took my father’s life and I told him he is forgiven. We forgive him.’
Hayden with his wife Carol Hayden in a photo shared online as he was mourned by family, friends and his congregation
Craig and Carol Hayden with their many grandchildren
Sanford wasn’t so forgiving, as though investigators are searching for a motive, they believe he targeted the Mormon churchgoers for their religion.
During a run-in with Grand Blanc city council candidate Kris Johns just days before carrying out the attack Sanford reportedly called Mormons ‘the anti-Christ’.
Johns told the Detroit Free Press he was asked by Sanford about the Mormon bible, the role Jesus plays in the religion and the history of the LDS church.
‘It was very much standard anti-LDS talking points that you would find on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook,’ he said.
Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit FBI field office Reuben Coleman said called attack a ‘targeted act of violence’ but didn’t say if Sanford targeted that church specifically or Mormons in general.
