The daughter of a man who lost his life in the tragic mass shooting at a Michigan Mormon church recounted how she came face-to-face with the shooter, revealing that she forgave him in that very moment, ultimately sparing her own life.
Lisa Louis, daughter of victim Craig Hayden, shared her emotional experience in a letter that her sister posted on Facebook on Monday. In it, she described how the deranged shooter, Thomas Jacob Sanford, approached her while she was kneeling beside her father’s body amidst the chaos that unfolded at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc on that fateful Sunday.
“When he came over to me I felt a strange sense of calm, almost peaceful, while I knelt next to my dad, my hands still on him,” she wrote.
“It seemed like I was looking into his eyes for ages,” she continued. “The only way I can describe it is that I felt like I could see into his soul. I kept my gaze locked on his; I sensed pain, a feeling of being lost in him. I felt this connection deeply within me.”
This gripping moment occurred shortly after Sanford crashed his pickup truck into the Mormon church where congregants were attending their Sunday service. Initial responders rushed to assist Sanford, mistakenly believing he had been involved in an accident. However, he soon exited the vehicle brandishing a rifle and opened fire.
At least four individuals died, and eight others were injured before Sanford, 40, ignited the church in flames and was ultimately shot dead by law enforcement. The building suffered extensive damage, burning almost entirely before firefighters could respond.
Among the deceased, two perished in the ensuing fire, as reported by the Detroit News. The remaining two, including Hayden, were shot, with Hayden being in his seventies and attending the service with Louis.
Despite the horrific circumstances, Louis was inexplicably spared.
“As I looked into his eyes while responding to his question,” she recounted, not disclosing what he asked, “I forgave him. I forgave him right there, not just with words, but from my heart. I peered deep into his soul, and he into mine. He chose to let me live. I feel a sense of purpose in sharing this now, reflecting on the many reasons I believe I was present at that moment.”
Louis also mentioned that she distinctly recalled Sanford having blue eyes, stating to investigators that his eyes were “bright blue, filled with tears, red and watery”—only to later discover they were actually brown.
“In the middle of the night while texting my sister, I came to the realization that it was my eyes I was seeing through his lens. I could see into his soul, and he could see into mine. He allowed me to live,” she expressed.
She emphasized her belief that there was a purpose behind her experience, urging others to abandon hatred.
“I needed to share this experience for my father, for anyone who can put hate aside,” she wrote. “By rejecting anger, we can halt the spread of hate. It’s in our power to stop it!”
Sanford has been identified as a Marine Iraq War veteran, and he was also a husband and a father to a young son. His family remains bewildered by his actions, acknowledging they have no insight into his motivations.
Some reports, however, indicated that Sanford may have harbored intense anti-Mormon views and previously expressed sentiments suggesting the religion was “the antichrist.”
