The horror that unfolded inside a Michigan Mormon church now carries an even darker weight. Just days before the rampage that left four dead and eight wounded, Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, delivered a chilling conversation that hinted at his obsession with religion that would soon turn deadly.
Local city council candidate Kris Johns recalled meeting Sanford while canvassing in Burton. At first, Sanford seemed kind, even talking about his child’s serious medical struggles. But then the mood shifted.
“He was extremely nice at first,” Johns told reporter Dave Bondy. “But when the conversation turned to religion, I just wanted to get off the door and away from him.”
Just days earlier, Sanford had called Mormons “the anti-Christ” during his conversation with Johns.
Sanford pressed Johns about the Mormon bible, the role of Jesus, and LDS history. Johns said the conversation quickly spiraled into “standard anti-LDS talking points you would find on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook.”
Tattoos and Transformation
In their talk, Sanford even mentioned he had his tattoos removed so he could take part in Mormon ceremonies. Yet photos on his Facebook still showed barbed wire imagery and a dreamcatcher etched on his arm. Johns admitted he didn’t feel unsafe at the time, saying: “Nothing about it suggested he was going to hurt anyone.”
Just as we have been reporting.
The FBI indicated that the motive behind the shooting at the LDS church in Michigan was the hatred of Mormons.
Hate drives so much evil.
Recall Thomas Sanford purportedly said he was upset because he could not go to portions of the Mormon…
Days later, news of the Grand Blanc Township massacre broke and Johns realized the man he had spoken to was responsible for the carnage.
Rampage at the Church
On Sunday morning, Sanford drove his pickup truck into the church. He then got out with two American flags raised in the truck bed and began shooting, as hundreds of parishioners scrambled for cover. Authorities say he used gasoline to ignite to ignite a fire inside the church.
By 10:33 a.m., Sanford was shot dead by police in the church parking lot. At least four people were killed and eight were wounded. The surviving victims ranged in age from 6 to 78, according to Dr. Michael Danic.
“This is an evil act of violence. That’s exactly what this was,” Police Chief William Renye said.
A Troubled Past
Friends and family described Sanford as a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq from 2007 to 2008. Some also said he battled PTSD. One family friend admitted: “It’s hard to feel sad for someone who did something so terrible, and I still feel sad… I had heard through family events that he had PTSD.”
His relatives’ social media feeds added more unsettling context. His mother, Brenda Walters-Sanford, posted a lengthy message just two days before the attack about people who “avoid accountability” and “play the victim.” Forensic psychiatrist Carole Lieberman told the Daily Mail that such words could have been a “trigger” for Sanford.
Between PTSD, religious tension, and a turbulent family dynamic, experts believe Sanford’s life was a volatile mix of trauma and resentment. Lieberman noted: “It was very personal. Very intimate. Saying how much he hurt her… Put together it’s a dysfunctional childhood. He had PTSD from the military, so we know he was particularly vulnerable.”
Searching for Motive
For now, investigators are still combing through evidence, including explosive devices found at the scene. Acting FBI Special Agent Reuben Coleman said the attack is being treated simply as “an act of violence.”
But for those who crossed paths with Sanford, from Kris Johns on his doorstep to his own mother on Facebook, the signs may have been there all along. As Johns reflected: “There are certain things you don’t forget. This is not a forgettable guy.”