The man suspected of carrying out a deadly attack on a church before setting it alight has been identified. Thomas Jacob Sanford is believed to have opened fire inside a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Michigan during a Sunday service, before igniting the building, resulting in at least two fatalities and several injuries, before he was shot by police, according to authorities.

The suspect is reportedly a US Marine veteran, as per his mother's Facebook page, having served in Iraq from 2004-2008. Social media accounts thought to be linked to Sanford also suggest he is a family man, with a wife and young son.

Hundreds of individuals were inside the church in Grand Blanc, 60 miles north of Detroit, when a man drove a pickup truck through the front door, exited the vehicle and began shooting, Police Chief William Renye informed reporters. The police believe he intentionally set the building on fire. The news comes after a Dallas shooting saw a 'Sniper on roof' as at least three shot in horror gun attack.

After the suspect fled the church, two officers chased him and "engaged in gunfire," Sheriff Renye stated, resulting in the suspect's death. Flames and smoke were visible emanating from the church for hours before the fire was extinguished.

First responders then began combing through the debris. "We do believe we will find some additional victims once we find the area where the fire was," Sheriff Renye said, reports the Mirror.

Initially, police reported nine casualties. However, Sheriff Renye later confirmed an additional fatality due to a gunshot wound at a hospital, though it remains unclear if this individual was included in the initial injury count.

The motive behind the fire and shooting is yet to be determined by the police. Investigations are currently underway at the suspect's residence in nearby Burton.

No further details about the suspect have been disclosed, including any potential affiliation with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon church.

This incident marks the latest in a series of shooting attacks on places of worship across the US over the past two decades, including a tragic event in August that claimed the lives of two children during Mass at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis.

President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting and took to social media to commend the FBI, who local authorities report are deploying 100 agents to the area. "PRAY for the victims, and their families. THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!" Trump wrote.

The church building, surrounded by a car park and a large lawn, is situated near residential areas and a Jehovah's Witness church. It is located in Grand Blanc Township, a community of approximately 40,000 residents outside Flint.

Timothy Jones, 48, revealed his family belongs to a different Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation, or ward, roughly 15 minutes away, but explained that his children had attended the Grand Blanc Township ward the evening prior to the shooting for a youth autumn festival.

He and his family relocated to Flint two years ago primarily due to the strength of the faith's community in the region.

As members of his congregation received news of the shooting through text messages and phone calls during their own Sunday service, the church entered lockdown and police arrived as a precautionary measure, he explained.

His children were "frantically, just trying to get word that people were okay."