Michigan church shooter was Marine veteran who White House official says “hated people of the Mormon faith”

New details are emerging Monday about the gunman in a fatal attack on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Michigan.

Thomas Jacob “Jake” Sanford, 40, drove his vehicle through the front doors of the church and fired multiple rounds from an assault rifle during Sunday services, authorities said. Sanford also apparently used gas to start a fire at the church, officials said. The attack killed at least four people, and at least eight others suffered injuries requiring hospitalization.

Sanford served in the U.S. Marines from 2004 to 2008, CBS News confirmed. He was an Iraq war veteran who deployed for several months during 2007 and 2008, according to service records provided by the Pentagon. 

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on Fox Monday morning that FBI Director Kash Patel told her Sanford “hated people of the Mormon faith.”

“From what I understand 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, how much planning went into it, whether he left a note,” Leavitt said.

Kris Johns, who is running for city council in Burton, Michigan, which is near where the shooting happened in Grand Blanc Township, told CBS News he met Sanford at his home last week while campaigning. He said Sanford had a particular dislike of the Latter-day Saints church, which was previously known as the Mormon church. He said Sanford told him that the church’s followers “believe they’re above Jesus.” 

Johns said Sanford told him he moved to Utah for a fresh start to plow snow and that while he was there he started a relationship with a Latter-day Saints woman.  

Johns recalls Sanford telling him: “They wanted me to get rid of my tattoos. They wanted me to do all this stuff, and I wouldn’t do it.” 

Johns said he and Sanford didn’t talk politics. 

“He said nothing about Charlie Kirk, nothing about our current president or past president,” Johns said. “He asked me about guns. I said I support the Second Amendment. We ended the conversation very positively.”

Johns also said Sanford told him that he had issues with drugs after he returned from overseas deployment.

Johns said he provided a statement to the FBI and the Michigan State Police on Sunday.

Patrick Torphy contributed to this report.