Tragic final words of kind churchgoer, 77, murdered in Michigan Mormon massacre

A father-of-six and grandfather who served in Vietnam has been named as the first victim of the Michigan church massacre.

Navy veteran John Bond, 77, was killed on Sunday after Thomas Jacob Sanford unleashed an attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc.

Bond’s widow Joanne revealed that Bond spoke about his shoes needing shining before telling her ‘I love you’ during what turned out to be their last conversation.

Sanford, 40, smashed his truck into the Grand Blanc Township church, opened fire and set the building ablaze, killing at least four people.

Bond was a ‘loving husband, father, and grandfather,’ according to a GoFundMe set up by his family.

‘He was a well known and loved member of his family and active in his community,’ the family said.

John was served in the Navy for nine years and loved golf and trains. He ‘always loved spending time with his family and grandkids,’ his loved ones wrote.

The attack on the church occurred about 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 apparently used gas to start the fire and also had explosive devices 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.