BURTON, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – When Burton City Council candidate Kris Johns went door-to-door last week to spread the word about his campaign, he had no idea his conversation with one constituent would land him in the national spotlight.

And there was no indication at the time that the man he spoke with would drive his truck into a Grand Blanc Mormon church, shoot ten people, kill four, and set the church ablaze before being shot and killed by law enforcement.

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“This was a person who wanted to be heard,” Johns told Michigan News Source, referring to his conversation with Thomas Jacob Sanford on Sept. 22.  Sanford is the man responsible for the deadly attack on the Grand Blanc Mormon church on Sunday, Sept. 28.

The conversation starts positively before taking a turn.

Johns said the 20 minute conversation, which is one of the longest he’s held with a constituent, seemed positive at first. Sanford asked about his position on gun rights and the two briefly discussed their children. Sanford told Johns he served as a marine in Iraq. Upon his return to the United States, Sanford said he had “a bit of a drug problem” and moved to Utah where he met a woman.

That’s when the conversation took a turn.

“He was not angry [originally], Johns said, referencing their conversation. “This was a 180. He had been thinking about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had given a lot of thought to it,” Johns said, saying Sanford seemed preoccupied with the topic. “I truly believe he had a negative reaction with someone from the church.”

“It’s surreal.”

Johns said he was sitting in a church service himself when Sunday’s events unfolded. He was shocked when he found out the man he talked to just a few days prior carried out the attack. Sadly, Johns said, there was nothing from their conversation that indicated he should call the police that day, but that changed on Sunday.

“I wish this never happened,” Johns said about Sunday’s tragic events. “It’s surreal.”

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Johns has a message for people of faith. “This was an attack on a church,” Johns said, which he said can drive people away from church or their involvement in the public square. “We let these monsters win if we don’t gather together to share faith and our beliefs.”