What we know about Michigan church shooting and arson attack

Investigators are looking for a motive after one of the gunmen opened fire in the Mormon Church in Michigan and set fire to the building, killing four people.

The officials said the attack on the Church of Jesus Christ for the last days of Grand Blanc, a town 60 miles (100 km) northwest of Detroit, occurred during the Sunday service, which was attended by hundreds of people.

They appointed the suspect, Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, from Berton, Michigan, who was killed by the police shortly after the shooting.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the officials said the accident was “an actually targeted violence”, but he said they had not yet been confirmed by Sanford’s motive.

Officials did not name the four people who were killed in the shooting, or the eight others who were injured, including the person who was in critical condition.

Michigan’s governor urged Grechen and the population is not to predict the motives, as officials conducted their investigation.

She said: “Speculation is not useful and can be dangerous frankly, so I just ask to reduce people’s temperature.”

The shooting began at about 10:30 US time (15:30 GMT) on Sunday, when his car gunmen crashed into the building and then started shooting at retirees.

A CBS News told that and others left the church after hearing a “noisy boom” of the car’s crash, before seeing the suspect begins to launch a weapon in the building.

“It was very unexpected,” said Paul Kirby. “Once I saw the gun and started hearing it, it started shooting at it, it was just a great fear.”

Soon after, the shooter set fire to the church using gasoline or accelerating another, officials said. James Deir, an agent of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives, said, and they also found the suspect’s temporary explosive devices, said James Deir, an alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives agents.

Officials said that after less than 10 minutes of shooting, the gunman died in an exchange of fire with the police.

The investigators said on Monday that they had an interview with more than 100 victims and witnesses as part of the investigation and spent all night to treat the crime.

Although officials did not give the motivation, the White House press secretary Caroline Levit told Fox News that Sanford was “an individual who hates the people of Mormon.”

Officials said the suspect was the previous naval infantry that was once deployed in Iraq.

Sanford told Outlet Clarston News that he was a sergeant in Marines and was published in Fallujah in Iraq in 2007.

“I am excited to go,” he told the newspaper. “There are many changes that we make in the Middle East, we are making progress.”

Officials said on Monday that Sanford had previous arrests of the process of robbery and operation of a vehicle while it was drunk.

There is not much information about the suspect’s political beliefs, but his personal file on Facebook is characterized by a picture of him in 2019 and is wearing what appears to be a shirt that enhances the re -election of Donald Trump in 2020.

It seems that the image of the Sanford associated with a sign of a pro -home experience also shows.

Sanford appears to have been the father of a son suffering from serious health issues, according to his family and the donation collection page.

Sanford is from a suburb from about 30,000 people, just a few miles from Grand Blanc.