When tragedy strikes at the hands of yet another fatal gunman in a US mass shooting, one of the first questions typically asked is: What was his upbringing like? We’re constantly looking for clues into how these monsters become who they are — and the internet is already hard at work digging into Thomas Sandford’s history.
Sandford, an Iraq War veteran, reportedly rammed his pickup truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township before opening fire on parishioners. He also allegedly set the church on fire while it was still filled with people.
“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,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox & Friends on Monday morning.
Internet sleuths quickly uncovered a Facebook post from Sandford’s mother, Brenda Walters-Sanford, shared just days before the tragedy. The since-deleted message appeared to allude to a deeply strained relationship with someone close to her.
“Talking to someone who constantly avoids accountability is not a real conversation — it’s a battle. It’s a cycle of deflection, projection, twisting, and playing the victim,” the post read, according to screenshots obtained by the Daily Mail, the New York Post reported. “When I try to express how your actions have hurt me, you don’t listen with the intention of understanding; you listen with the intention of defending yourself. That’s not communication — that’s self-preservation of your ego.”
She continued, “I don’t owe my peace to someone who only wants to win an argument, not to understand my heart. My energy is not a prize for someone committed to misunderstanding me. At some point, you have to value yourself enough to stop begging someone to hear you.”
In earlier posts, Walters-Sanford had shown support for President Donald Trump, who has since called Sunday’s shooting an “attack” on Christians.
At least four people were killed and eight others injured in the shooting. Authorities have not yet released further details on Sandford’s motive or what was discovered during a search of his home.
