As soon as Thomas Sanford was identified as the shooter who rammed his car into a church and then shot with his rifle before starting a fire, a council candidate knew he had met the same person on a door-knocking campaign only a few days before as he could not forget his tirade against Mormons, even at the brief meeting they had. 44-year-old Kris John, who is running for a seat on the Burton City Council, told the Detroit Free Press that he met him on September 22. Kris John reported his meeting to the law enforcement to help them find a motive. Kris said he chatted with the former US Marine man for 20 minutes and Sanford was very friendly until the conversation took a turn to religion. Sanford told him he had a relationship with a woman whose family was Mormon when he lived in Utah. John informed the police how Sanford asked him questions about the tenets of the Mormon faith, the role fo Jesus in the religion, the history of church and its founder Joseph Smith. “It was very much standard anti-LDS talking points that you would find on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook,” he said. “I just didn’t know what the next question was going to be.”Sanford then said he considered Mormonism “the antichrist”.John said he recognized Sanford instantly when he started seeing his image on TV and social media posts.“There’s certain things you don’t forget,” he said. “This is not a forgettable guy.”Sanford killed at least four people and injured several others while there were hundreds of congregants inside at the time.
Who are Mormons ?
Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), a Christian religious movement that started in the United States in the early 19th century. It was founded in the 820s–1830s by Joseph Smith in upstate New York. Smith said he was guided by visions and divine revelations, including the Book of Mormon, which he published in 1830. They identify as Christians but believe that the original church of Jesus Christ was lost after the early apostles died and restored through Joseph Smith.