Following Sunday’s brutal tragedy that claimed numerous lives, Thomas Jacob Sanford’s family in Michigan said they are “completely in shock.” Sanford, a 40-year-old ex-Marine, rammed his pickup into a Grand Blanc Latter-day Saints church, started shooting at worshipers, burned the building on fire, and was shot dead by police.
The family is “devastated,” according to his father, who also acknowledged that they had “no answer” as to why Sanford would commit such a crime. He struggled to reconcile the brutality that transpired with his son’s portrayal as a loving parent and husband. As they grieve—both for their own loss and the people lost in the attack—the family has asked to remain anonymous.
While authorities confirmed that every worshipper present during the attack has been accounted for, they are still looking into the cause.