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The number of people killed during a shooting and fire at a Michigan church is now four, plus the shooter, with at least eight others wounded, one of them in critical condition. Officials fear the death toll could rise.
Police said the shooter drove a vehicle into the church building, opened fire, and was shot dead by officers. Grand Blanc Township officials indicated the attacker “rammed the vehicle through the front door” of the church, then got out of the vehicle and began shooting. A church service was taking place — “there were hundreds of people in the church” — at the time of the attack.
Police said Sunday evening the suspect was identified as former Marine Thomas Jacob Sanford.
The attacker, identified as a former Marine, also firebombed the church. That fire has been put out, but police fear that people were trapped by the flames and unable to exit the church.
As for a motive; White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed new details about the gunman, telling “FOX & Friends” on Monday morning that, through conversations with FBI Director Kash Patel, she has learned that the shooter harbored a hatred for people of the Mormon faith.
“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 said.