Grand Blanc Township, Michigan (AP) – One person Killed in the attack He was remembered as a grandfather who worshipped spending time with his family at the Church of Jesus Christ at the Latter-day Saints Conference in Michigan.
A friend who organizes fundraising for his family said Navy veteran John Bond was among those who died Sunday morning.
Bond is well known in the community and loved golf and trains, a GoFundMe post said.
Authorities have yet to release the names of eight (ages 6-78) who were expected to survive injuries. According to other Gofundme posts, among the injured were his father and his young son.
He remained at the scene Tuesday as heavy machines began to move debris from the church during the attack in Grand Blanc Township, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of Detroit.
Authorities have identified the shooter as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, of the town of Nearby Burton. Investigators have given him little details about him, including motivating the attack or whether he has any connections to the Latter-day Saint Church of Jesus Christ, widely known as the Mormon Church.
Sanford, killed in a shootout with two officers, grew up in a small town not too far from the church.
“He was a man in his family. He was a proud Marine. It wasn’t him,” said Andy Easton, who attended school with Sanford from kindergarten to high school. “The fact was, but it wasn’t him. It definitely came out of the field on the left. I didn’t know he had those feelings.”
Jeffrey Shaub, bishop of Grand Blanc Church, said in a video posted Monday that the attacks had caught the community involving it.
“As you can imagine, our members are quite shaken in their minds and bodies,” he said. “And that hurts.”
Support has been poured in from a variety of faith communities, he said. “It was extremely humble to see how good it is for today’s world. Above all, we are all children of the same father in heaven,” he trembles in his voice.
Sanford drove the truck into a church brick wall while members gathered on Sunday morning. He apparently used gas to start the fire and also had an explosive device, said James Deer, of the Alcohol Bureau, cigarettes, firearms and explosives.
A few hours after the attack, flames and smoke were poured from the church.
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White reported from Detroit. John Sheewer, Associated Press Reporter in Toledo, Ohio. I contributed to this report.
