Michigan Church Shooter's Dad 'Devastated,' Has 'No Answers'

The father of Thomas Jacob Sanford, the man behind the deadly church shooting in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, has publicly apologized to the families of the victims, USA Today reports. In a brief exchange with the Detroit Free Press, Thomas Sanford expressed sorrow for those affected, saying, "I feel terrible about all the families that have been hurt and they're under the same crap that I'm going under, that my wife and I are going under. I apologize for that."

Authorities say the younger Sanford, a 40-year-old Marine veteran, crashed his pickup into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Sunday morning before firing an assault rifle at churchgoers and setting the building on fire. Four people were killed and eight others were injured in the attack. Sanford died after exchanging gunfire with police. Investigators have yet to determine a motive for the attack.

Sanford's father, wary of media attention, offered only a glimpse into his son's background. He noted that his son served in Iraq as a Marine in logistics, describing him as someone who "loved the United States; he loved his family. He was a good man. He was a family man." However, he declined to discuss whether military service had changed his son or to speculate on what led to the violent rampage. "The only thing I can say is that it was my son that did it," he said. "As far as why? Irrelevant. It happened. We're dealing with it. It's been a nightmare." In an earlier statement to NBC, the elder Sanford said the "devastated" family had "no answers" for why his son did what he did.