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A gunman left a Michigan community reeling over the weekend after an attack at a church in Grand Blanc, Michigan, killed four people and injured eight others.
Police said the Sept. 28 shooting at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was carried out by a gunman and former Marine, 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford.
Sanford, of Burton, rammed a pickup truck bearing two American flags into the chapel during morning services, set it ablaze, and used an assault rifle to open fire on hundreds of worshippers. Police said he used gasoline to set the building on fire.
A local political candidate told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, that Sanford had ranted against Mormons during a conversation a week before the attack.
"It was very much standard anti-LDS talking points that you would find on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook," said Kris Johns, who has spoken with local police and the FBI.
One victim, a church member, died at the scene, and a second died at a local hospital. At a press conference on the night of Sunday, Sept. 28, Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said that two others who were inside the establishment had been identified in the charred debris, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Here's what to know about the shooting.
Who is the suspected gunman?
Grand Blanc Township Police responded to the shooting on Sunday, Sept. 28, at just before 10:30 a.m.
Two law enforcement officers − one from the township police department and one who works for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources − were on the scene within 30 seconds of the original 911 call, Renye said.
They shot and killed Sanford in the church parking lot. According to social media posts, the suspected gunman appeared to be an avid hunter and fisherman. Sanford did stints with the U.S. Marines in Japan and Iraq after graduating from Goodrich High School in 2003, according to a 2007 news article from the Clarkston News.
Renye said Sanford had previously been arrested on charges including burglary and operating a vehicle while intoxicated. It's unclear when the arrests happened.
Officials are searching for 'additional bodies'
Authorities said 10 people suffered gunshot wounds, with seven stable and one victim in critical condition as of the evening of Sept. 28.
Renye said first responders were still working to find more victims, adding that some people remained "unaccounted for."
"We're working tirelessly to find additional bodies," he said. "The entire church has not been cleared because it's a total loss due to the fire."
Dr. Michael Danic, medical chief of staff at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital, said eight patients ranging in age from 6 to 78 were treated for gunshot wounds and smoke inhalation following the incident.
A 21-year-old man taken into custody
On Monday, Sept. 29, a 21-year-old was arrested after allegedly trying to drive through a barricade near The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Detroit Free Press reporters on the scene spotted what appeared to be a long gun removed from the red car driven by the man.
"We are still in the process of investigating that incident," Renye said. It's unclear whether the incident is connected to the attack that occurred over the weekend.
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.
Contributing: Kristen Jordan Shamus, Andrea May Sahouri, Christopher Cann, USA TODAY NETWORK
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan church attack left 4 people dead. Here's what we know so far.
Reporting by Taylor Ardrey, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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