White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday, September 29, that the FBI is investigating the deadly attack at a Michigan Mormon meetinghouse as a possible hate crime.
Authorities identified the shooter as Thomas Jacob Sanford, a former Marine who drove a truck into the meetinghouse of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township before opening fire on worshipers.
Leavitt told “Fox & Friends”:
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. All of those questions have yet to be answered, but certainly will be answered by the FBI.
Leavitt praised local police for their fast response, saying officers “neutralized the shooter within minutes, no doubt saving lives.” She added that Sanford’s family is cooperating with investigators as authorities continue to examine whether the attack was planned.
