At least 5 people, including suspects, were killed and 8 others injured in a shooting at a Mormon church in Grand Blanc, Tennessee, Sunday, local time. The gunman has been identified as a former United States Marine Corps who served in the Iraq War and his motive is still under investigation.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the suspect drove a Chevy pickup truck straight into the main entrance of the church at about 10:20 am, and then used a semi-automatic rifle to indiscriminately shoot hundreds of believers inside the church. He then set fire to the church, which was soon filled with smoke and flames. Two local police officers who had been alerted quickly arrived and exchanged fire with the gunman, who was shot dead at 1033 hours. The fire was not brought under control until that afternoon. At least two bodies were pulled from the rubble after part of the building collapsed. Not only that, law enforcement officers also found the gunmen in the car three home-made explosives.
The sudden murder plunged the local community into chaos and panic. According to reports, the resident population of Grand Blanc only about 7,700 people, beautiful scenery, Park Green, is considered Michigan, “The most livable city.”. One resident told the Detroit free press that he thought such horrors“Would only happen in Israel,” but not in the United States.
(CNN) — the man responsible for the CNN, Tomas Jacob Sanford, 40, was from Burton, a few miles away. Sanford served in the United States Marine Corps from 2004 to 2008, winning numerous military commendations for outstanding performance. After his retirement, he worked as a truck driver for coca-cola.
Notably, Sanford quit his job to take care of a child with a rare condition called congenital hyperinsulinemia, which is expensive to treat and requires long-term care, and launched a network of crowdfunding to ease economic pressure. According to media reports, Sanford had no criminal record and had a good reputation in the local community.
The murder is still under investigation and law enforcement officials are trying to find a motive in Sanford’s phone records and social media interactions. President Donald Trump, after being briefed on the case, lambasted the incident on social media as “Another attack on American Christians,” the report said, and called for“An immediate end to the rampant violence in our country.”. Whitmer, the Governor of Michigan, also strongly condemned the attack, stressing that “No form of violence is acceptable, let alone a vicious incident in a place of worship.”.
Citing security experts, Fox News Channel said public places such as churches and schools were often seen as “Soft targets” by lawbreakers because of their concentration and low public awareness, such places should pay more attention to safety and protection.
The Mormon church has been attacked many times in the United States, but it is rare to see such a high number of casualties. The last shooting took place in 2018. A gunman broke into a church in Falun Municipality, Nevada, killing one person and wounding another.