At least 100 federal investigators are responding to an attack in a Michigan community where a former Marine crashed a pickup into a Mormon church during a Sunday service, shot into the building and set it ablaze.
The police chief said officers were on the scene within 30 seconds after a 911 call and eventually fatally shot the man in an exchange of gunfire. By then, at least four people were killed and eight injured.
It was the latest of many shooting attacks on houses of worship in the U.S. over the past 20 years, including one in August that killed two children during Mass at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis.
It also was the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours. On Saturday night, another man opened fire from a boat into a crowd in Southport, North Carolina, killing three and injuring five.
What happened?
Hundreds of worshippers were inside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township at about 10:25 a.m. Sunday, when a man got out of a pickup with two U.S. flags raised in the bed and began shooting, according to law enforcement.
The attacker also started a fire, apparently by using gasoline. Two officers chased the attacker and exchanged gunfire after he left the church, killing him about eight minutes later, according to authorities.
Fire and smoke poured from the church for hours, and photos showed charred rubble from the building.
At least four people were killed, and authorities said they were searching the debris for more victims. At least eight were wounded.
What is known about the attacker?
Officials said the attacker was Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, from a nearby small town.
He served in the Marines from 2004 to 2008, including seven months in Iraq, focusing on vehicle operations and maintenance, and was discharged at the rank of sergeant, according to records released by the Marine Corps.
What’s not known?
A motive for the attack is still not clear.
The total number of victims also is not clear.
Investigators were searching Sanford’s residence but authorities did not say what they found or provide any additional details about him, including whether he was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church.
The church where it happened
The Mormon church described the building as a chapel where Sunday services were being held.
The church said on its website that it has nearly 47,000 members in Michigan — among almost 7 million members in the United States — and that the building is one of several Mormon churches in the area.
Grand Blanc Township is about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of Detroit and just south of Flint.
The investigation so far
The FBI is leading the investigation and considered it an “act of targeted violence,” according to Ruben Coleman, special agent in charge for the bureau.
Local authorities said the FBI was sending 100 agents to Grand Blanc Township, a community of roughly 40,000 people.
By The Associated Press
