After Thomas Jacob Sanford rammed his pickup into the front doors of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, he allegedly aimed an assault-style rifle at the worshippers inside, killing four people and wounding eight others.
A Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, Sanford, 40, then set fire to the structure, according to authorities. As terrified parishioners tried to escape the blaze, Sanford was killed at the scene by police.
Retiree Lori Farmer, who lives nearby with husband Ron, told The Independent that she was “shocked” when she heard Sanford identified as the shooter. Farmer and her husband, who worked with Sanford, are “still reeling,” she said.
“He was a good guy,” Farmer said. “All about his family.”
Sanford, who met her husband while driving a truck for Coca-Cola, had gone ice fishing with the couple, and once helped them remove a big spruce tree from their property, according to Farmer. Sanford and his wife, who was part of the LDS church, had a son with special-needs; Sanford reportedly had gotten his tattoos removed so he could participate in LDS ceremonies.
Farmer told The Independent that Ron’s “mind is blown” over the whole thing. She said he talked with Sanford every morning when they worked together, and described Sanford as a hard worker who held down a couple of other jobs at the same time.
Ron, who declined to be interviewed, “really liked [Sanford] and counted him as one of his good buddies,” Farmer said. “Never saw this coming. But, mentioned he heard he suffered from PTSD, maybe [it] hit him more as of late?”
Reached by phone Monday, Sanford’s relatives said they were also at a loss as to what might have led to the seemingly random bloodshed.
“At this point, I don’t know nothing,” Jeffrey Sanford, 57, told The Independent. “I guess I’ll leave it at that. It’s very tragic for everybody, all the families. Including ours.”
Jim Sanford Jr. said simply: “Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. We’re going to let the police do their due diligence and we’re just asking for privacy right now.”
Police have not yet established a motive but Burton, Michigan city council candidate Kris Johns told journalist Dave Bondy that he crossed paths with Sanford last week while canvassing. Sanford at first seemed pleasant enough, according to Johns, who said things soon took a disturbing turn.
“We just started to talk, and after a short while the conversation went to the Church of Latter-day Saints,” Johns said. “He made the position multiple times that Mormons are the anti-Christ.”
Yet, Johns emphasized: “It wasn’t anything I thought I needed to call police about. You hear all kinds of views these days. Nothing about it suggested he was going to hurt anyone.”
Hospital officials said they treated eight victims, ages six to 78. Five of them suffered gunshot wounds, and three were treated for smoke inhalation. Police also reportedly discovered IEDs, or improvised explosive devices, on the scene.
In response to Sunday’s massacre, certified firearms instructor Ryan Swartz, a former deputy sheriff in Huron County, is offering free training to church leaders and ushers who wish to be armed at the pulpit.
“I usually charge $80, you have to take an 8-hour safety class and go through a background check [to get licensed in Michigan],” Swartz told The Independent. “I said, ‘You know what, it’s sad that we live in a society like this right now, where shootings are all too common. If I can help out, and it’ll deter someone from entering a church and trying to cause harm, I just thought it was the right thing to do.”
Under Michigan law, churches are considered “gun-free zones” unless church leadership grants permission.
On Monday, Sanford’s father, Thomas told the Detroit Free Press that he felt “terrible about all the families that have been hurt and they’re under the same crap that I’m going under, that my wife and I are going under. I apologize for that.”
He said he was glad that his son “came back in one piece” from his military service, which spanned from 2004 to 2008.
“He was in logistics,” Thomas Sanford said. “He drove a wrecker and went out and picked up vehicles. One time, he was under fire but most of the time he was fine.”
Sanford “loved the United States; he loved his family,” according to his dad. “He was a good man. He was a family man… The only thing I can say is that it was my son that did it. As far as why? Irrelevant. It happened. We’re dealing with it. It’s been a nightmare.”
President Donald Trump has blamed a recent rise in political violence solely on the “radical left.” However, photos on social media accounts show Sanford clad in MAGA merchandise, including a T-shirt reading: “Trump 2020: Make liberals cry again.” In Google Maps images from this June of Sanford’s home in the town of Burton, a Trump-Vance sign can be seen on the fence.
Sanford is not registered with any political party, according to public records.
Sunday’s shooting was the 324th mass shooting of 2025, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
