Iraq War veteran Thomas Sanford ID’d as gunman who attacked Grand Blanc LDS church, killing 2 and setting it ablaze
The deranged madman who killed at least two people and wounded nine others at a Michigan Latter-day Saints church, torching the building and opening fire on fleeing congregants and their families, has been identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, The Post can confirm.
Sanford, a US Marine veteran, according to his mom’s Facebook page, rammed his Chevy Silverado truck into the building before unleashing the assault on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, armed with a semi-automatic rifle.
Facebook/Jake Sanford
An old Facebook post by Sanford’s mother says the gunman — who died at the scene in a shootout with cops — who served in Iraq from 2004-2008.
Law enforcement sources confirmed that Sanford, from nearby Burton, Michigan, is the line suspect.
The source of the blaze was not immediately known, but sources told The Post authorities found several improvised explosive devices on church property which a bomb squad was investigating.
Facebook/Grand Blanc Residents Uncensored
AP
Cops said there were hundreds of worshippers inside when the attack began, and that an unknown number of victims could be found inside once the building is safe to enter after a massive blaze consumed nearly the entire building, aerial footage showing an enormous plume of choking black smoke rising up from the structure.
Social media accounts believed to be connected to Sanford show he’s a family man, with a wife and young son.
Facebook/Jake Sanford
A dormant GoFundMe page from 2015 raised more than $3,000 for the couple’s now-10-year-old son who was born with congenital hyperinsulinism, or CHI, a rare, genetic condition where the pancreas releases too much insulin.
Pictures from the Sanfords’ Facebook page show the family smiling, posing in the beds of pickup trucks or in a field of tall sunflowers.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram