The gunman who killed four worshippers and wounded eight others at a Mormon church in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, on Sunday had a sign bearing Donald Trump's name outside his home, public records show. The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, was shot dead by police at the scene.
Google Maps images from June show a blue sign with Trump's last name attached to a shed at Sanford's house in Burton, Michigan, about a 15-minute drive from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints he targeted. A family photo on Facebook also shows Sanford wearing a 'Re-elect Trump 2020' T-shirt with the slogan 'Make Liberals Cry Again'.
President Trump responded to the shooting on Truth Social, calling it 'yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America' and saying 'there is still a lot to learn' about the suspect. His remarks were notably more measured than those following the killing of rightwing activist Charlie Kirk in Utah earlier this month.
Investigations into the motive are ongoing. The FBI has described the attack as 'an act of targeted violence' but has not provided further details. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Fox and Friends that the FBI believes Sanford 'hated people of the Mormon faith'.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Sanford had expressed negative views about Mormons to a local city council candidate, calling the religion 'the antichrist'. The candidate, Kris Johns, said the encounter in September involved 'standard anti-LDS talking points' but did not hint at violence.
Sanford's voter registration shows no party affiliation, as is typical in Michigan's open primary system. However, Democratic consultant Mark Grebner told Bridge Michigan that Sanford signed petitions in 2021 to repeal pandemic emergency powers and in 2020 to restrict abortion. Sanford bought his house for $96,211 in 2016.
