Thomas Sanford, accused in a fatal shooting and fire Sunday at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, called the religion “the antichrist” just days before the incident, reported the New York Post.
Sanford made the comment during an interaction with Kris Johns, a candidate for the Burton City Council.
The two talked for about 20 minutes and, during the conversation, Sanford asked him about the tenets of the Mormon faith, the role Jesus plays in the religion, the history of the church, and its founder, Joseph Smith.
“It was very much standard anti-LDS talking points that you would find on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook,” Johns told the outlet. “I just didn’t know what the next question was going to be.”
Sanford then said he considered Mormonism “the antichrist.”
Four people were killed and eight injured when Sanford allegedly drove a vehicle through the front doors of the church and began shooting and setting the place on fire. Sanford was killed at the scene.
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