() The man accused of opening fire on a group of worshippers at a Michigan church on Sunday came from a military background and served in Iraq. 

Police say 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford was behind the attack that left four dead and at least 8 injured at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan. 

Sanford allegedly drove his vehicle into the front of the packed church before shooting at churchgoers and setting the building on fire, authorities said. He died after a shootout with law enforcement, they said.

It is unclear whether Sanford was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church. 

The FBI said the shooting is being investigated as an act of “targeted violence.”

Thomas Sanford was a Marine

Sanford was a sergeant who served between 2004 and 2008 and was deployed during the Iraq War under Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Marine Corps said in a statement to .

He had one combat tour in Iraq in 2007 that lasted nearly seven months.

Sanford worked in the Marines as an organizational automotive mechanic and vehicle recovery operator, according to the statement. He was awarded multiple medals, including the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, officials said.

The alleged gunman’s last duty assignment was in combat logistics at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

Sanford came from a military family, local outlet Clarkston News reported in a 2007 article on the alleged shooter’s deployment to Iraq. He had an uncle who was also in the Marines, and a grandfather who served in the Navy during WWII, the outlet stated. 

“I’m excited to go,” Sanford had told the outlet before his deployment to Fallujah, Iraq. “I’m looking forward to seeing the culture and the people of Iraq. I’ll return with the real news of the situation.”

Sanford’s father referred to him as a “homegrown kid,” saying the family was “very proud of him,” the outlet reported. 

Thomas Sanford’s son may have had a medical condition 

A Facebook page that chronicled the journey of a child with congenital hyperinsulinism appears to be Sanford’s son, multiple outlets have reported. 

The page shows updates on the child’s battle with the rare condition where the insulin cells of the pancreas create too much insulin.

The illness had a financial toll on the family, and Sanford took leave from work as a truck driver for Coca-Cola to be with his son, reported CNN. 

“Don’t ever take having healthy kids for granted,” Sanford is quoted as saying in a local article, according to CNN. “We are proud of our child. I spent four years in the Marine Corps and was in Iraq, and this is still the most unique thing to deal with.”

Images on the Facebook page show several glimpses into Sanford’s life. He is seen embracing and playing with the child. 

 A 2019 image uploaded to the page shows him wearing a “TRUMP 2020” shirt.