GRAND BLANC, Michigan—A churchgoer has established an online fundraiser for the wife and son of the man authorities say crashed his truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Grand Blanc before opening fire and setting the structure on fire during the Sept. 28 Sunday service.
Ten people were shot, including two fatally. Two bodies were later found in the rubble.
Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, was killed by law enforcement officers in the church parking lot after an exchange of gunfire.
“But [Saint] James teaches us that ‘Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, ‘To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.’”
Butler said the purpose of the online fundraiser is to put that into practice.
“Every donation will go to help provide for the Sanford family’s daily needs, provide for ongoing medical treatment, and create some stability in a time of heartbreak and upheaval,” he wrote.
More than $296,000 had been raised as of the afternoon of Oct. 2. Butler has set a $500,000 goal.
“Sanford leaves behind a wife and children who must be grieving. They will face financial hardship and psychological trauma as a result of this week’s horrifying events,” Butler wrote.
“On top of that, one of the Sanford sons deals with serious medical challenges that require ongoing care, treatment, and specialized support. In the past, the family attempted to raise funds for him, but with limited success,” he added.
The accused gunman’s father, Thomas Sanford, apologized to relatives of people who were killed and wounded in the attack.
Thomas Sanford, 71, said his son was a former Marine who served in Iraq.
“He loved the United States; he loved his family,“ he said. ”He was a good man. He was a family man.”
Thomas Sanford said he was uncertain what led his son to attack the church.
“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,” he said.
“From what I understand, based on my conversations with the FBI director, all they know right now is this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith, and they are trying to understand more about this, how premeditated it was, how much planning went into it, whether he left a note, all of those questions have yet to be answered but certainly will be answered by the FBI,” she told Fox News in an interview on Sept. 29.
Kris Johns, a city council candidate in Burton, Michigan, where Thomas Jacob Sanford lived, recalled an encounter with him six days before the attack.
Johns told The Associated Press that he spoke to Thomas Jacob Sanford about gun rights when he knocked on the suspect’s door while campaigning.
Johns said Thomas Jacob Sanford asked, “What do you know about Mormons?”
Thomas Jacob Sanford told Johns that he was a Christian, and that he was concerned about Mormon beliefs, the candidate explained before adding that Sanford believed their followers are the “antichrist.”
“That’s something I’ll never forget,” Johns said.
Military records show that Thomas Jacob Sanford served four years in the Marine Corps after enlisting in 2004 and deployed to Iraq for seven months.
He reached the rank of sergeant, and his last duty assignment was at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina before he left the Marines in June 2008.
He was awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal, according to the records.
A week before his attack at the LDS church, Thomas Jacob Sanford attended a service in a nearby community a week earlier and abruptly left that church after becoming “agitated,” church elders said.
The River Church is a Christian church with nine locations around southeast Michigan.
“As a church, we seek transparency and want to make you aware that the individual responsible for this tragedy had some connection to our Goodrich location,” the statement reads.
“In 2015, his family used our building for a fundraiser for his son’s medical condition. This usage was outside of our ministry as it was a simple rental to use our building.”
“In addition, he and his family also attended a Goodrich gathering on September 21st. He had interactions with our staff, speaking about his desire to have his son baptized,” the statement continued.
“While he became agitated during that interaction, he did not show any indication of physical violence, and he and his family left without incident.”
According to River Church leaders, the church was “advised to have the Goodrich location thoroughly inspected and was subsequently cleared by law enforcement.
“They have also been conducting further sweeps of the surrounding area in an abundance of caution. We want you to be aware of this ongoing presence, not to instill fear, but to assure you that every effort is being made to protect our church family.
“As this is an ongoing investigation, we have shared all the details we know. Should additional updates become necessary, we will communicate as appropriate.”
Thomas Jacob Sanford and his family attended an event where people who are ready to be baptized can receive the sacrament, Caleb Combs, a pastor with The River Church and a spokesman for its churches, told the Detroit News.
The process involves questioning by and conversation with church staffers to determine if the individual is personally and spiritually ready for the step, Combs noted.
After speaking with Thomas Jacob Sanford, his family, and the son, Combs said, “We told (Sanford) his son was not ready at that moment, and that staff would reach out to help him prepare to be ready.”
The River Church’s Grand Blanc location held a prayer vigil on Sept. 29 for the victims of the shooting.
“Our hearts are so heavy for the tragic loss from the shooting in the LDS community,” Combs said.
“We are broken for them, broken for the community of Grand Blanc, and broken for the world.”
