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FOX 2 - The survivor of a mass shooting at a Grand Blanc church shared his story of escaping during the attack Sunday.
The backstory:
Two victims were killed and seven others wounded in the shooting when police say Thomas Jacob Sanford crashed his pickup truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, set fire to the building and opened fire.
Brian Taylor was there, and got shot at. He saw the gunman who he said was wearing camouflage pants and had an assault-style rifle. He said he did not recognize him.
"I was shot at, this is shrapnel from the windshield, as he shot at our car as we were trying to drive away," he said, showing his bandaged forearm.
Taylor said his biggest task in that moment was to get his wife to safety and find his son.
"He was in another vehicle, he was ducked down in another vehicle just trying to lay low," Taylor said.
Survivor Brian Taylor. Inset: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc which was set on fire in the attack.
He said he was on the phone with his son at the moment the shooter came out the door.
"That's when I put the pedal to the metal to try to get out, and that's when he started shooting at our vehicle," he said.
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Church service had started at the time of the attack and those inside were preparing to take communion after 10 a.m.
"That was when we heard a loud bang," he said. "The front wall of the chapel was cracked."
Many at church thought it was an accident at first, and rushed to help.
"Once I saw the American flags on the truck and somebody yelled it was on purpose,
I started to get people out and away," he said, adding that he gathered his wife and got some elderly women from the congregation into his Ford Flex.
At that point Taylor said he was calling his son to get his location when he saw the gunman.
"As soon as I saw the door open with the shooter and with his rifle, that's when I tried to drive away - and that's what he shot at us," he said. "So there was multiple shots, probably a few dozen before that even happened."
Taylor is grateful he and his family made it out, but is heartbroken at the attack.
"Relief that my family's okay, but sad for those that might not be," he said.
The Source: Information for this story was taken from a first-hand account from Brian Taylor and other details released by police.