Local Politician Recounts Encounter with Michigan Gunman Days Before Attack

Key Takeaways:

• Local politician Kris Johns spoke with Jake Sanford shortly before the attack
• The incident occurred at the LDS church in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan
• Sanford repeatedly labeled Mormons “the Antichrist” during their conversation
• Questions about guns and the LDS faith shaped their brief exchange
• The encounter took place only days before the reported violence

The Door-to-Door Campaign

Kris Johns was no stranger to meeting new people as part of his local political campaign. On his route in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, he cautiously approached each doorstep to introduce himself and share his platform. It was during one of these routine visits that he encountered Jake Sanford, a man who would allegedly become responsible for an attack on a local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A Tense Encounter

According to Johns, Sanford’s primary questions focused on guns and the LDS church. Johns recalls that the conversation took an unsettling turn when Sanford mentioned his views on Mormons and repeated multiple times that Mormons were “the Antichrist.” For Johns—accustomed to a wide range of topics on the campaign trail—this exchange felt unusually intense, hinting at the man’s deep-seated hostility toward the faith.

Days Before the Attack

Only a short time after the conversation, news broke that the same Jake Sanford had launched an attack on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township. The details of the incident remain limited, but the timing left Johns reflecting on the significance of that doorstep meeting. From the repeated anti-Mormon rhetoric to Sanford’s questions about guns, Johns now views his brief encounter as a grim prelude to the violence that followed.