Two people were identified in two separate mass shooting incidents in the US, with one associated with the Michigan church shooting, while the other was a suspect in the shooting at a waterfront bar in Southport, North Carolina. Thomas Sanfor and Nigel Edge have been identified as US Marines who have served for at least 4 years.
40-year-old Thomas Sanford has been identified behind the shooting at the Michigan church. Authorities have confirmed that Sanford is from nearby Burton, Michigan and is the lone suspect in the shooting. Sanford was killed by the police in the parking lot, eight minutes after the first emergency call came in, Grand Blanc Police Chief William Renye said in a press conference.
Sanford reportedly drove his truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan. He then proceeded to exit his vehicle and fire upon the parishioners present there. While the motive of the attack is still under investigation, FBI special agent Ruben Coleman said that it is being considered as an “act of targeted violence,” AP reported
Sanford reportedly had a decorated career as a US Marine who served in the military from June 2004 to 2008, AFP reported. He was an ‘organisational automotive mechanic’ as well as a vehicle recovery operator. While in the Marines, Sanford got the rank of sergeant. From August 2007 to March 2008, he was deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
A spokesperson told NBC News that Sanford earned many medals during his time. He has been given the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defence Service Medal
As per reports by the New York Post, he also had a dormant GoFundMe page from 2015. Funds were collected for the couple’s now-10-year-old son, who was born with congenital hyperinsulinism.
Nigel Edge, the 39-year-old suspect in the North Carolina shooting earlier, went by Sean William Debevoise. He changed his name in 2003. Southport Police Chief Todd Coring shared that Edge suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. On September 28, Nigel pulled up to the American Fish Company restaurant, about 30 miles south of Wilmington and began spraying bullets into the crowd of unsuspecting diners
Nigel’s ex, Rachel Crowl, also opened up about his mental health and said that she had not spoken to him for a decade. Speaking to NBC News, Rachel said that Edge was struggling with his mental health and had been ‘crying out for help for a long time
Nigel was reportedly with the US Marines from September 2003 to June 2009. He got the rank of sergeant and was deployed to Iraq. Reports also indicate that he was highly decorated, and received the Purple Heart, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Combat Action Ribbon for Iraq and an Iraq Campaign Medal, along with two bronze stars.
He was part of several bizarre lawsuits that were filed in North Carolina this year. This included him accusing Southport church of trying to kill him. The lawsuit, reportedly filed in May, claimed that the Generations Church, along with the LGBTQ community and white supremacist pedophiles, were behind a “civil conspiracy” to kill Edge. The lawsuit was dismissed.
Nigel Edge also reportedly appeared in his Marine uniform on the red carpet in 2012 alongside the singer Kellie Pickler as her special date. She also posted a picture with him.
