Gunman May Have 'Hated People of the Mormon Faith'

As the community of Grand Blanc Township in Michigan grapples with Sunday's deadly church shooting and arson, the police chief is hailing the bravery of people who were inside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints building. "They were shielding the children ... moving them to safety" said William Renye. "Just hundreds of people just practicing their faith, just extreme courage, brave, and that's the type of community that we are." More:

• Authorities have not yet speculated on a motive of shooter Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40. He lived in nearby Burton and served in the Marines from 2004 to 2008, including a deployment to Iraq, per the New York Times. Sanford was killed in a shootout with police in the church parking lot.
• "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 ... whether he left a note," White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Monday, per CNN.
• Four people were killed, including two who were shot. Eight others were injured. "We heard a big bang, and the doors flew open," one churchgoer who was in the parking lot tells CNN. She describes seeing a pickup truck with two American flags ram into the front of the chapel. Another congregant said the gunman—who also set fire to the building—began shooting at cars.

• President Trump on Sunday said "there is a still a lot to learn," adding that "this appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America," per USA Today. Sanford's political views remained unclear. A post at NBC News shows an online photo of Sanford wearing a "Trump 2020" shirt, part of a blog post about his son's medical journey. And USA Today notes that a "Trump-Pence" yard sign can been seen on the Google Earth view of his property.
• "He just seemed normal," a former high school classmate tells the New York Times of running into his old friend a few weeks ago. A neighbor described Sanford as a "nice guy" who would plow neighbors' driveways for free. "Something must have happened, snapped somehow," he said.