The man responsible for fatally sho*ting four and injuring eight in a Michigan church massacre has been identified.
Not only that, it was revealed that he had voiced disturbing beliefs just a week earlier, particularly against LDS followers, who he described as being “the anti-Christ” in a conversation that now reads like a forewarning of violence.
Highlights
- Kris Johns recalls Sanford calling Mormons “the anti Christ” days before the Michigan church massacre.
- Four worshippers were killed and eight wounded when Sanford rammed his truck and opened fire.
- Investigators say Sanford used gas to set the church ablaze and carried explosive devices.
Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, a Marine veteran from Burton, rammed his pickup truck into the Grand Blanc Township Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before opening fire on worshippers and setting the building ablaze.
By the time police gu*ned him down in the parking lot, it was already too late.
The man responsible for a devastating attack on a Michigan LDS church had labeled its followers as “the anti-Christ” prior
Image credits: Facebook/Jake Sanford
Nearly a week before the massacre, city council candidate Kris Johns found himself at Sanford’s front door while canvassing the neighborhood. What began as a routine knock quickly became an encounter he would never forget.
Sanford, a Marine veteran, gave no initial cause for alarm, and Johns described him as approachable, even friendly.
“He was extremely nice at first. He even talked about his child who had a serious medical concern,” Johns told journalist Dave Bondy, recalling the way the conversation began on an almost sympathetic note.
But as soon as the small talk ended, Johns said the atmosphere changed. The mention of religion opened a door into a darker side of Sanford’s thoughts.
Image credits: Facebook/Brenda Walters Sanford
“When the conversation turned to religion, I just wanted to get off the door and away from him,” Johns admitted.
What had started as the story of a father worried about his child quickly spiraled into a barrage of unsettling declarations about morality, and more worryingly, hostility toward the Mormon church.
Johns said that, while Sanford’s views were extreme, his demeanor didn’t seem out of the ordinary
Image credits: Facebook/Jake Sanford
Sanford told Johns he believed “Mormons are the anti-Christ.” From there, the questions came fast. Did Johns believe in God? What did he know about the Mormon Bible? What role did Jesus play in their faith?
“There’s certain things you don’t forget. This is not a forgettable guy,” Johns told local media.
“It was very much standard anti-LDS talking points that you would find on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook.”
Image credits: Facebook/Kris Johns
Johns remembered Sanford saying he had his tattoos removed so he could take part in church ceremonies, even though Facebook photos still showed ink on his arms, including barbed wire and what looked like a dreamcatcher.
Despite the bizarre tone of the exchange, Johns said he didn’t feel unsafe.
“It wasn’t anything I thought I needed to call the police about. You hear all kinds of views these days. Nothing about it suggested he was going to hurt anyone,” he added.
Only after news broke of the bloodshed did Johns realize the man wasn’t speaking in metaphor.
Alongside the flames, investigators recovered explosive devices from the scene, though it remains unclear if he ever managed to detonate them
Image credits: Facebook/Jake Sanford
The violence unfolded just after 10:25 am. Worshippers thought at first they were rushing to help a motorist when a truck bearing two American flags crashed into the church. Then Sanford climbed out, rifle in hand, and began firing into the crowd.
Image credits: X/allenanalysis
Some witnesses recalled the chaos inside.
Paul Kirby, a 38-year-old churchgoer, said Sanford aimed at him directly.
“He started sho*ting at me,” Kirby said, remembering how he sprinted back inside to grab his wife and children before fleeing with as many people as his car could hold.
Image credits: Facebook/Brenda Walters Sanford
Police later confirmed that Sanford had later used gasoline to ignite the blaze that consumed the church.
The combination of g*nfire, smoke, and chaos left doctors treating both bullet wounds and the effects of suffocation.
Five victims were rushed to hospitals with g*nshot injuries, while three others were treated for smoke inhalation. Among them was a six-year-old child, whose condition was stabilized before being released.
Sanford served in the Marines and was deployed to Iraq in 2007, allegedly returning with severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Image credits: Facebook/Brenda Walters Sanford
Sanford served in the Marines from 2004 to 2008 as a mechanic and vehicle recovery operator, deploying to Iraq in 2007. According to friends, he returned home scarred by PTSD.
Image credits: Facebook/Brenda Walters Sanford
Image credits: Facebook/Brenda Walters Sanford
“It’s hard to feel sad for someone who did something so terrible, and I still feel sad. I had heard through family events that he had had PTSD. He would make comments occasionally,” a source close to Sanford shared with local media.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer condemned the attack as “unacceptable” and expressed sympathy for the victims’ families.
Image credits: Facebook/Jake Sanford
Donald Trump, who Sanford's family were supporters of, described the incident as “another attack on Christians” and called for an immediate end to the nation’s “epidemic of violence.”
As Bored Panda previously reported, the tragedy follows the devastating sh*oting in late August of a Catholic elementary school where two children lost their lives and 17 were injured.
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