In the days following the attack in which four people were killed and eight more were wounded at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, Mormons who were grieving the tragedy did the unthinkable: They began raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the family of the man who shot and killed Latter-day Saints.
A GiveSendGo fundraiser set up for the family of Thomas Jacob Sanford has raised more than $265,000, with many of the donations coming from members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Washington Post reported. On Sunday, Sanford drove his truck into the building of a Latter-day Saints church in Grand Blanc Township before stepping out of the vehicle and opening fire with a semiautomatic rifle, according to authorities. Sanford was also suspected of setting a fire to the church building before responding police officers killed him.
Four people were killed in the attack, which appeared to be motivated by the gunman’s hostility toward Mormons. While federal authorities have not officially released a motive for the deadly attack, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told “Fox & Friends” earlier this week that federal authorities believe Sanford “hated people of the Mormon faith.”
After the attack, multiple fundraisers were started for victims of the shooting, but one Latter-day Saint living in Utah also wanted to reach out to the family of the shooter, whom he said are also “victims” of the tragedy, according to The New York Times.
“One of the families that suffered a terrible loss on that day was the family of Thomas Jacob Sanford, the shooter,” states the GiveSendGo fundraiser started by David Butler. “Sanford leaves behind a wife and children who must be grieving. They will face financial hardship and psychological trauma as a result of this week’s horrifying events. On top of that, one of the Sanford sons deals with serious medical challenges that require ongoing care, treatment, and specialized support. In the past, the family attempted to raise funds for him, but with limited success.”
Sanford’s son was diagnosed with congenital hyperinsulinism, a rare condition that causes the body to produce too much insulin, resulting in low blood sugar that can lead to major problems for infants and young children.
Sanford’s father told the Post in a text message that it was hard to “find any words to express” how grateful the family was for the donations.
“Our family is grieving so much right now, I can’t find any words to express our appreciation but the right time will eventually come, thank you so much,” Sanford’s father said.
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