Marine Identified as Suspect in Michigan Mormon Church Shooting
Five people died in the attack.
Authorities identified Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, as the gunman who attacked a Michigan Mormon church on Sunday.
Sanford served as a Marine in Iraq. From Fox News:
Sanford served in the Marines from 2004 to 2008 as an organizational automotive mechanic and vehicle recovery operator, the Marine Corps told Fox News.
He deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He earned several awards during his four years of service, including the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.
He left with the rank of sergeant and his last duty assignment was with the 2d Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 25, 2d Marine Logistics Group at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Sources also said Sanford leaves behind a wife and son, who has congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI).
The police said Sanford is the lone suspect.
Sanford allegedly killed five, injured many others before setting fire to the church, likely using an accelerant.
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Comments
But still no clue as to motive? Sad.
I’m surprised sometimes by the amount of antipathy directed at Mormons and I suspect this guy just thought the Mormons needed to get suicide-bombed. Why? I don’t know. They’re just Mormons! They’re almost always super nice people.
I was raised LDS. I had a pretty nice childhood with friends and whatnot. Yet I still remember how some “Christian” kids stopped talking to me when they found out I was from an LDS family.
And when I left the LDS for a different church, some other “Christian” I casually knew was happy that I was becoming a Christian, yet really wished I were converting to his version of Christianity. I still kind of wish I’d been a little harsher in my response to that guy.
There’s a lot of hatred out the for Mormons. I don’t know why.
Hate for the stranger.
Especially the stranger that’s got its own tight-knit, generally successful community.
I am not saying it is the case here. But, one of the listed side effects of the Vaccines that soldiers took before going to Iraq and Afghanistan was: “A psychological break with reality.”
However, that might explain why some of these unexplainable attacks by former soldiers are occurring.
LOL I lived in eastern Idaho for a time and saw what Mormons were like to outsiders when they made up 80%+ of the local population. You guys aren’t any better than the alternative my guy
I was interviewed for a job at a software company in Orem, Utah. Everything went fine, and then suddenly I wasn’t qualified. I point-blank ask if it’s because I wasn’t Mormon and the answer was yes. At least they were honest about it.
How can you possibly recover from such injustice? Are you scarred for life?
tiki: You m doing just fine.
I’M!!!
Edit function, please!
“ There’s a lot of hatred out the for Mormons. I don’t know why.”
It’s like being Jewish, but different.
Hatred, or simply a view that Mormons are no more Christian than Muslims?
Like you say, the Mormons I’ve encountered seem nice polite folk.
Maybe PTSD.
Maybe he wanted to kill someone specific in the congregation.
Who knows. It is sad though.
Maybe a convert to Islam?
I can hardly wait for Jimmy Kimmel’s comedic take on this.
So, this guy runs into a Mormon church. Turns out he was dyslectic and angry because he was looking for LSD.
heeding the call of the leftist masters to attack from within?
the military itself ,,as already been proven, has so many anti american “just get the benefits package” dependency there is no telling what they’ll do
sounds at this point like it was of a more personal nature
Looks like most of those “awards” are just the usual “participation” medals.
all part of the lefty indoctrination process
To be fair you gotta participate to earn a campaign medal. Even the Good Conduct medal isn’t a gimme, plenty of folks stubbed their toe too hard to qualify. The NDSM and GWOT are definitely just handed out to all comers.
I have some “being there” medals from Vietnam. Total noncombatant.
Who writes junk like this? So he is a former Marine. So what? So he got a National Defence Service Medal. So what??!?! You know what you have to do to get one of those? 1. J0in up. 2. Be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. No, wait! It doesn’t even require that! Just join and live! Stupid article.
2. Not die during Basic Training/Boot Camp.
And nothing before he committed this evil act?
Yeah he has anti Trump stuff in his fence, which really weird being a Vet is somewhat out of the box
But no history of violence, nothing?
Just decided to take out some Mormons, children and all?
What was all that crap about some candidate talking to him then?
That LDS girlfriend and all the tattoo stuff?
‘Lone wolf’ attacks Jewish synagogue. ‘Lone wolf’ attacks Mormon church. ‘Lone wolf attacks Catholic church. ‘Lone wolf’ attacks Evangelical church.
How many lone wolves make a pack? And isn’t it weird how they never attack Muslim mosques?
Mary, I know you didn’t mean to accuse all of us old Marines of being murderers but your headline does. He also drank milk when he was young. He has a driver’s license and speaks English but none of that seems to be an identifier. There are millions of exMarines in the world who are good upstanding members of society but the msm seems to always make it the number one identifier in a crime. Being a Marine had nothing to do with this crime but that will plant a negative memory for many readers of the title Marine.
Fair enough. There’s great folks and evil folks in every subculture. Just b/c someone is a Veteran doesn’t make them one or the other; their own actions do that.
I did notice you left out the USMC crayon eating./s
No combat action ribbon…was a mechanic, only served 4 years… doesn’t look like you can blame PTSD on this one… his mental illness doesn’t appear to be service connected at first blush.. need to see what triggered him and why he hated Mormons…
Why are so many people dangerously nuts?
The answer, in a single word, is stress.
Stress does strange things to people and there is way too much of it out there….
It does not make sense to identify him as a Marine.
He hated Mormons. That has nothing to do with the Marine Corps.
Couple of notes: The “being there”, or “being in at the time” aren’t entirely without meaning. It’s why everybody going through Basic can, at least, function in a static defensive position as Infantry. And whatever you do and wherever you are, circumstances may change so you’re really THERE. Could be it comes to you, or maybe they sweep up everybody who can fog a mirror and they’re off to someplace six time zones away. SURprise.
Early reports had it that “100” FBI agents were on the way. Another that “elite” investigators would be involved. If true, seems to be over-resourcing the fairly straightforward attack. Something else going on? Disturbing social media and connections?