An armed man was arrested after driving through the police barricade outside the Michigan Latter-day Saints Church, where a madman unleashed a shooting spree and fire attack that killed four people a day earlier.
The man, who was not identified, was stopped in his red Buick Reatta Monday morning after breaching the barricade outside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township and taken into custody after a long gun was found in the front seat of his car, CNN reported.
Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Reyne confirmed the incident at a press conference, identifying the suspect as a 21-year-old but not providing any additional information.
Four people were killed and eight were wounded in the horrifying attack in which Thomas Sanford, 40, drove his pickup truck through the front doors of the church and started shooting worshippers with an assault rifle.
He also set the church on fire, which burned down after a roaring blaze tore through the structure, sending a massive black smoke plume up in the air above the community, located about 60 miles north of Detroit.
Reyne, who denounced the attack as an “evil act of violence,” said every worshipper present at the time of Sunday’s assault has now been accounted for, but the investigation is continuing to definitively determine Sanford’s motive.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Michigan church shooting
- Michigan church shooter Thomas Sanford’s family ‘completely in shock’ over his deadly rampage
- Thomas Sanford had prior arrests ahead of deadly attack, officials reveal, as all worshippers inside accounted for
- Thomas Sanford called Mormonism ‘the antichrist’ in hateful tirade to city council candidate
- Michigan gunman’s mom posted eerie message about someone ‘avoiding accountability’ days before shooting
The chief also revealed Sanford — a decorated US Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq between 2004-2008 — had previously been arrested on burglary and operating a vehicle while intoxicated charges.
Sanford also told a city council candidate in the neighboring town of Burton that he harbored animosity toward Mormons, and referred to the faith as “the antichrist.”
Kris Johns was canvassing Burton neighborhoods Sept. 22 ahead of the upcoming election when he knocked on the door of Sanford’s home.
As the men chatted, Sanford unleashed a torrent of hatred toward Mormons, sharing that he had dated a woman whose family was part of the LDS church while he was living in Utah years ago.
Sanford was killed in a shootout with police outside the church.
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