Overview

• Authorities confirmed four fatalities, including two recovered from the burned structure, and eight people hospitalized with one in critical condition.
• Police identified the suspect as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, a former Marine from Burton, who was shot dead by officers about eight minutes after the first 911 reports, with the first units arriving in roughly 30 seconds.
• Investigators say the attacker drove a pickup through the entrance, opened fire with an assault-style rifle, and set the building ablaze using an accelerant believed to be gasoline, leaving the church a total loss.
• The FBI has assumed the lead and is treating the case as an act of targeted violence as teams continue to search the rubble for additional victims and evidence.
• Detectives are examining the suspect’s home and digital footprint for a motive and assessing reports of suspected explosive devices at the scene and checks by bomb squads at his residence.