The father of the Michigan shooter who murdered four Mormon churchgoers has spoken out ‘in shock’ over his son’s horrific actions. 

Thomas Sanford – the father of 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford – issued the family’s first words since his son rammed his pickup truck into the Grand Blanc Township church on Sunday morning before opening fire and setting it ablaze.

‘He was an ex-Marine and we are completely in shock over this; we have no answers,’ Sanford said. 

‘We are asking for privacy as we grieve our loss and those of the others,’ he added, telling NBC News he knew his son as a loving husband and father.

The former Marine was shot dead by police in the church’s parking lot after killing four and injuring eight. 

Authorities warned the death toll could continue to rise as they carry out search efforts through the building ruins for more victims.

The surviving victims’ ages ranged from six to 78, said Dr Michael Danic, chief of staff at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital, to NBC News. 

Five of them were treated for gunshot wounds and three others were treated for smoke inhalation. The child was stabilized and released, according to the doctor. 

Thomas Sanford (pictured bottom left), the father of the Michigan shooter who murdered four Mormon churchgoers, has spoken out ‘in shock’ over his son’s horrific actions

Sanford – the father of 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford – issued the family’s first words since his son rammed his pickup truck into the Grand Blanc Township church on Sunday morning before opening fire and setting it ablaze

The attack unfolded 10.25am while hundreds of people were in the building in Grand Blanc Township, outside Flint.

The man got out of the pick-up with two American flags raised in the truck bed and started shooting, Police Chief William Renye told reporters.

The attacker used gasoline to start the fire and also had explosive devices in his truck, but it wasn’t clear if he used them, said James Dier, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 

One family friend told journalist Ty Steele that Sanford had been battling PTSD.

‘It’s hard to feel sad for someone who did something so terrible, and I still feel sad. I had heard through family events that he had had PTSD,’ she said.

‘He would make comments occasionally and it was something that was kind of talked about. It wasn’t talked about in depth… so I don’t know the depth of his issues.’

Sanford’s loved ones, including his wife and both of his parents, also frequently shared pro-Trump messaging on their social media pages.

His mother, Brenda Walters-Sanford, posted a chilling message on her Facebook just two days before the incident about people who lack accountability. 

Thomas Jacob Sanford, the man who opened fire at a Mormon church in Michigan, had a chilling conversation with a local about a week before the attack 

Kris Johns, a resident running for city council, said he spoke to Sanford while canvasing the neighborhood. During their conversation, he said the Marine veteran said he believed ‘Mormons are the anti-Christ’ 

‘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. 

‘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.’ 

The text appears to have been shared by several Facebook users, suggesting it’s a viral chain. It is unclear if Walters-Sanford was directing it at her son or someone else she knew.

It 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.’ 

The lengthy post by his mother might have been a ‘trigger’ for Sanford, Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychiatrist with over 20 years studying criminals, told the Daily Mail. 

‘If in reference to her son. Really mean. Very hurtful kinds of posts. That could’ve been a trigger,’ Liberman said. 

‘Very personal. Very intimate. Saying how much he hurt her. Basically I hate my son. Dysfunctional childhood. Sometimes it’s more from the mother [than] from the father.

‘Put together it’s a dysfunctional childhood. [He] Had PTSD from the military, so we know he was particularly vulnerable.’ 

Sanford told Johns that he had his tattoos removed so he could take part in church ceremonies. Several tattoos were seen on his arm in Facebook photo

The shooter’s mother Brenda Walters-Sanford shared the above message two days before the massacre in Michigan

Sanford served in the Marines from June 2004 to June 2008, working as an automotive mechanic and vehicle recovery operator, according to military records obtained by The Detroit News. 

He was deployed to Iraq from August 2007 through March 2008 and had the rank of sergeant. 

Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit FBI field office Reuben Coleman said during a press conference Monday afternoon that they are ‘continuing to work to determine a motive.’ 

They are currently calling the investigation and ‘act of violence,’ he said. 

Authorities are looking into the improvised explosive devices that were uncovered at the scene, ATF special agent in charge James Deir said.