GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Investigators are continuing to work and determine the motive behind a deadly shooting and arson at a Grand Blanc Township church that claimed the lives of four innocent people and the shooter.
John Bond, a Navy veteran and loving husband, father and grandfather, was identified by family as one of the victims who was shot and killed while attending Sunday service at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township.
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"He was a well known and loved member of his family and active in his community. John was a Navy veteran serving for 9 years, a lover of golf and trains and always loved spending time with his family and grandkids," read a GoFundMe page created for Bond's family.
The suspect, 40-year-old Thomas Sanford, not only opened fire but also set the church on fire, creating additional dangers for those inside and challenges for investigators. Several other people were hurt and hospitalized.
"Anybody who has been through active shooter training, we teach to run hide barricade. But the act of fire changed everything. When you're teaching someone and a sympathetic response is to go barricade, that's the last thing you want to do when there's a fire," Genesee County Sheriff Christopher R Swanson said.
Swanson grew up in the area and knows the community personally.
"I grew up right down the road on the 8000 block of McCandlish Road. I know this community, I know the people," Swanson said.
The FBI is leading the investigation into what they describe as an act of targeted violence on the church. Investigators have interviewed more than 100 witnesses and are working with their Quantico labs division to analyze evidence from the scene.
Related video: Police say all accounted for after deadly church attack
Inside the truck the suspect drove into the church, law enforcement found four improvised explosive devices, which were described as "fairly basic."
The fire has created additional challenges for investigators as they comb through the wreckage while working to determine a motive.
With the community on high alert, Swanson has added 31 marked patrol cars to ensure schools, churches and other gathering places are protected.
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The sheriff's office plans to host a security, safety and tactical briefing this week for any place of worship that wants to attend.
"People want to know when they gather, there's things they have to do. Law enforcement can't do it by themselves. So to create that outside perimeter, the inside perimeter, communications, we're gonna cover those things and I think that's going to help people," Swanson said.
The family of Bond has launched a fundraiser to help with memorial expenses. The Grand Blanc Township Police Department has also established a victim compassion fund through a local credit union.
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