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Michigan police say 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford is accused of opening fire at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Grand Blanc, Michigan, Sept. 28.
The former Marine lived in Burton, Michigan, a Flint suburb.
Police say Sanford used an assault rifle in the shooting and crashed his truck into the church, which he burned down.
Sanford was fatally shot by authorities after he allegedly killed four people and wounded eight others.
The New York Times reports the Michigan man had history in Utah. He rented a room in Jeremy Ranch, near Park City, in 2010.
Sandra Winter told The Times he rented from her for about a year and that she was shocked to hear Sanford was identified as the alleged shooter.
She said he did snow removal and landscaping for a local business and had creative ambitions as a sculpture artist.
KPCW found court documents showing Sanford was convicted of impaired driving and other traffic offences while living in Summit County over a decade ago.
Authorities are searching for a motive behind the attack, which the FBI has categorized as an “act of targeted violence.”
The New York Times reported that, according to friends and acquaintances, Sanford developed a hatred for the Church of Jesus Christ after a romantic relationship he had in Utah.
Winter told The Times Sanford had fallen in love with a devout LDS woman, and other friends said he became resentful of the church when the relationship ended.
A local Michigan city council candidate told The Detroit Free Press he met Sandford days before the church shooting while canvassing. The candidate said Sandford had gone on an anti-LDS tirade during their conversation.
