>> Continued From the Previous Page <<
It didn’t take long for authorities to identify the shooter. Law enforcement has now confirmed the man behind the attack was Thomas Jacob Sandford, a 40-year-old former U.S. Marine who previously served in Iraq. Officials said Sandford died after exchanging gunfire with responding officers.
Investigators quickly descended on Sandford’s residence along Atherton Road, sealing it off as a crime scene. Property records list Sandford as the owner of the home and the 2008 GMC Sierra pickup truck used to ram into the church before the shooting began.
According to The New York Post, an old Facebook post from Sandford’s mother indicated her son served in Iraq between 2004 and 2008. Law enforcement sources have since confirmed that detail, adding that several suspicious devices found on church property are now being examined by the bomb squad.
Online sleuths and local journalists immediately began digging into Sandford’s background. One notable discovery was political signage at his Burton property. The Gateway Pundit reported finding a Trump-Vance campaign sign partially hidden behind a STOP sign on his land. A review of voter records showed Sandford registered to vote in 2018, two years after Donald Trump’s first presidential win in 2016.
But the political angle only got murkier. Some on social media claimed the shooter had been an outspoken critic of former President Trump, though no verifiable evidence has surfaced. In fact, a Google Maps photo of Sandford’s property showed a STOP sign positioned in front of a Trump-Pence campaign sign — suggesting he may have been sending an anti-Trump message to passing motorists.
For now, the motive behind this horrific attack remains unclear. Investigators continue combing through evidence while parishioners and families pray for the injured victims fighting for their lives.
As one officer said off-camera, “Please pray for a full recovery for the victims of this sick individual and for law enforcement, who will be tasked with examining the church that was destroyed by the fire, for innocent parishioners who may not have escaped the violent attack on yet another church in America.”
