White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed on Monday that the gunman who killed four people and hurt eight others at a Michigan church on Sunday “hated” Mormons.
The suspect was named Thomas Jacob Sanford, a 40-year-old former Marine from Burton, Michigan.
When co-host Lawrence Jones asked Leavitt on Fox & Friends on Monday what the motive was, she didn’t say if there was a personal connection to that church community.
She did say that FBI Director Kash Patel told her that the attacker targeted members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because of their faith.
“From what I understand based on my conversation with the FBI director, all they know right now is that this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith,” Leavitt said.
“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 are yet to be answered but certainly will be answered by the FBI,” the press secretary added.
WATCH:
This incident occurred one day after a gunman opened fire inside a Latter-day Saints church in Michigan, killing at least four people and injuring eight others, including children, before setting the building ablaze.
Officials confirmed that the gunman had fatally shot two of the victims and discovered two others inside the burned structure.
Investigators issued a warning, predicting an increase in the death toll due to the unaccounted-for status of several individuals and the possibility of finding additional victims among the rubble.
The fire reduced the church to its foundation, complicating recovery efforts. Emergency crews suspended the search late Sunday night and are expected to resume clearing debris early Monday morning.
Officials said they do not yet know how many parishioners remain unaccounted for. A source familiar with the investigation told CNN the number could be as high as seven, though that estimate may include survivors who have not yet been able to contact their families.
FBI Director Kash Patel noted he was monitoring the situation and had been briefed on the attack.
Hundreds of worshippers had gathered inside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township when gunfire erupted. Moments later, images captured the building engulfed in flames, its frame swallowed by thick smoke and fire.
“We do believe there were people up there that were near that fire, and they were unable to get out of the church. So we do believe that we will have additional victims once we’re able to search that,” Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye told reporters.
Police said the gunman, identified as 40-year-old Tomas Jacob Sanford, drove his pickup truck through the church’s front doors around 10:25 a.m. before opening fire with an assault-style rifle. The vehicle had two large American flags in its bed and deer antlers mounted on the front bumper.
Sanford was killed in an exchange of gunfire with a Grand Blanc Township police officer and a Michigan Department of Natural Resources officer who arrived on the scene within seconds of the first 911 calls.
Officials said the suspect was neutralized roughly eight minutes after the attack began, the New York Post reported.
Authorities said eight gunshot victims remained hospitalized Sunday night, including one in critical condition, according to Grand Blanc Township Police Chief Ron Renye.
James Deir, special agent in charge with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, said investigators believe Sanford used gasoline to ignite the blaze. He added that “suspected explosive devices” were also recovered at the scene, The Post noted.
Witnesses described the chaos that followed the truck’s crash into the building.
