Michigan Church Shooting: Who Is Suspect Thomas Sanford? Iraq War Veteran Once Awarded 'Good Conduct' Medal

(MENAFN- Live Mint) A man drove his vehicle through the front entrance of a Mormon church in Michigan , opened fire with an assault rifle, and set the building on fire, killing at least four people and injuring eight others before being fatally shot by police, Reuters reported, citing authorities.

Officials confirmed that two victims died from gunshot wounds and eight others were hospitalised. Later, police discovered at least two additional bodies in the burned-out remains of the church, which had not been fully searched and may still contain more victims.

Emergency crews respond to a shooting and fire at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Grand Blanc, Mich., Sept. 28, 2025. (David Guralnick/Detroit News via AP)
GRAND BLANC, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 28: Emergency services respond to a shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 28, 2025 in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Police said there are multiple victims and the shooter is down. Bill Pugliano/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by BILL PUGLIANO / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Who is the suspect?

The suspect has been identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, an Iraq War veteran who previously served in the U.S. Marines, according to The Post.

According to the U.S. Marine Corps, Sanford's military service spanned from June 2004 to 2008, NBC News reported. Additionally, a spokesperson told NBC News that Sanford received several medals during his service, 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.

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Sanford reportedly drove his Chevy Silverado into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, during a Sunday service, before opening fire on the congregation.

His truck was adorned with two large American flags mounted behind the cab and had deer antlers fixed to the front bumper.

Michigan church shooting suspect Thomas Jacob Sanford. (Photo: X)

A long-inactive GoFundMe page from 2015 raised over $3,000 for the Sanfords' son, who is now 10 years old and was born with congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI). This rare genetic disorder causes the pancreas to produce excessive amounts of insulin, as reported by the New York Post.

Photos shared on the family's Facebook page depict them smiling together, often seen posing in pickup truck beds or standing in fields of tall sunflowers.

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A Facebook post by Sanford's mother says the gunman, who died at the scene in a shootout with cops, served in Iraq from 2004 to 2008. He was killed minutes after the first 911 call came in. A Department of Natural Resources officer and a local township cop responded to the scene in about 30 seconds, authorities said.

What do investigators say?

Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said that two law enforcement officers, one from the state Department of Natural Resources and another from Grand Blanc Township, rushed to the scene within 30 seconds of receiving calls and engaged the suspect in an exchange of gunfire, shooting him dead in the parking lot about eight minutes after the incident began.

“Investigators will search the shooter's home and phone records in search of a motive,” Renye said, as reported by Reuters.

In an unusual coincidence, another 40-year-old Iraq War veteran and former U.S. Marine is facing charges in a separate mass shooting less than 14 hours before the Michigan church attack.

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Police in Southport, North Carolina, have identified Nigel Max Edge as the suspect who allegedly opened fire from a boat at a waterfront bar on Saturday night, killing three people and injuring five others. Edge has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder.

Court records reveal that Edge, previously known as Sean William DeBevoise, had filed a federal lawsuit, now dismissed, against the US government. In the suit, he described himself as a decorated Marine who sustained serious injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, during his service in Iraq.

US president Donald Trump in a statement on Truth Social said that the shooting "appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America" and said the FBI was on the scene. "THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!"

Investigators will search the shooter's home and phone records in search of a motive.

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The Michigan rampage marked the 324th mass shooting in the U.S. in 2025, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which tracks such incidents and describes a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot or killed, not including the shooter.

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