THERE'S a chilling link between Michigan church shooter Thomas Sanford and alleged Southport bar killer Nigel Edge.

A total of eight victims were killed and 12 wounded across both horrific weekend massacres at a Sunday service and a waterfront bar.

The gunman who yesterday crashed his truck into a Mormon church in Michigan and opened fire, killing at least five worshippers in a rampage, had previously received several medals for his service in Iraq with the US Marines.

The other gunman, who allegedly killed three people and wounded five others at a seaside bar in North Carolina, was also a decorated Marine veteran who served in Iraq and described himself as "a man of honor."

The homegrown link comes as forensic experts continue combing through the razed ruins of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in search of more victims.

Thomas Sanford, 40, slaughtered at least four people and wounded at least eight others before dying in a shootout with cops, said police.

Horrific photos have shown a pickup truck - carrying two large American flags - that smashed through the front doors of the Mormon church in Grand Blanc, Michigan, on Sunday.

But authorities fear there are more victims buried in the charred ruins after the crazed gunman opened fire with an assault rifle and set the church ablaze.

The massacre occurred hours after a mass shooting at a waterfront bar in North Carolina that left three people dead and five injured.

Nigel Edge, 40, of Oak Island, has been accused of opening fire on Saturday night from a boat into a crowd gathered at the American Fish Company in Southport.

HOMEGROWN DECORATED VETERANS

US military records show Sanford, who grew up in the Flint, Michigan, area, served in the Marines from 2004 to 2008 and was an Iraq war veteran.

A close-up view of his pickup truck's rear license plate showed he wore his service with pride with a custom "Iraq" plate.

A Marine Corps spokesperson told CNN that Sanford served as a sergeant and received several medals for his service.

Sanford was deployed after the United States, Great Britain, and other coalition forces attacked and overthrew Saddam Hussein’s brutal regime in Iraq.

In 2007, Sanford was interviewed in the Clarkston News, a local paper, about his service.

He earned honors on the rifle range and achieved the rank of sergeant, according to its archives.

What we know about the Michigan Mormon Church shooting...

• Four people were killed as worshippers congregated at Grand Blanc's Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Eight more were injured and taken to hospitals
• Thomas Sanford, 40, was identified as the shooter and killed by cops
• He opened fire after allegedly smashing his Chevy Silverado through the church's front doors
• Cops swooped on the scene within 30 seconds of receiving a 911 call
• Sanford is a former Iraq War veteran and also served in the Marines
• An Iraq sticker was found on his car's license plate
• Improvised explosive devices were found in his truck
• The FBI described the shooting as a targeted attack

The article described his military career as "stellar."

He spoke to the paper ahead of joining his Marine combat battalion to serve in Fallujah, Iraq.

"I’m excited to go. I’m looking forward to seeing the culture and the people of Iraq," Sanford told the paper 18 years ago.

"There are many changes we are making in the Middle East - we are making progress. The citizens of Iraq are beginning to step up."

An uncle had served in the Marines, and his grandfather had served in the Navy during World War II, the article added.

Edge, the suspected North Carolina gunman, is another 40-year-old Marine veteran who served in Iraq.

The filings describe Edge as a decorated Marine who claimed to have suffered severe wounds, including traumatic brain injury, in Iraq.

According to court records, he had filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. government.

The lawsuit, which was dismissed, showed Edge was previously known as Sean William DeBevoise before changing his name.

At a press conference yesterday, reporters heard that Edge “identifies as a combat veteran, he self-identified as injured in the line of duty."

Edge had also said he “suffers from PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder]," added Southport police chief Todd Coring.

The Oak Island Police Department said of Edge, “There were some minor contacts [with officers] over the years.

"But nothing significant in the past which would give us any indication that he was capable of such horror.”

Newsweek reported that officials are trying to piece together “all of his past.”

Edge changed his name from Sean DeBevoise in 2023, according to The Wilmington Star-News.

It had previously written about him as a former Marine sniper who was shot while serving in Iraq in 2006.

He also has a self-published book advertised on Amazon, Headshot: Betrayal of a Nation (Truth Hurts), published in 2020.

In it, he describes himself as a high school wrestler who grew up in New York State, and "learned early that he was bound to be a man of honor."

The book adds that "he willingly deployed to Iraq where he encountered a war-zone that would rip his body to shreds" and was struck by "four bullets including one to the head."

He also claimed that "all of this was at the hand of friendly fire that would provide the most crippling mental damage."

Upon returning to the U.S. he "had worked tirelessly to recover the use of his body."

MICHIGAN MOTIVE UNKNOWN

The North Carolina shooting occurred less than 14 hours before the Michigan incident.

Authorities today said they were working to determine why ex-Marine Sanford drove his silver pickup truck into a church at 10:25 am during the Sunday service.

It was packed with hundreds of worshippers inside at the time of impact.

An official with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said investigators believe the shooter used an accelerant - probably gasoline - to fuel the blaze.

Officials have not as yet outlined a possible motive, but confirmed that they will today search Sanford's home and phone.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that she had spoken with FBI Director Kash Patel about the bloody attack.

She said, "All they know right now is this was an individual who hated people of the Mormon faith.

"And they are trying to understand more about this, how premeditated it was, how much planning went into it, whether he left a note.

"All of those questions have yet to be answered."

Leavitt said the shooter's family was cooperating with the FBI.

NORTH CAROLINA MURDER CHARGES

Edge has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and five counts of attempted murder, police said.

Authorities said the alleged killer piloted a small boat close to shore, which was lined with bars and restaurants, stopped briefly, and fired.

He then sped away.

The mass bar shooting was a “highly premeditated” attack, claimed investigators.

Police Chief Todd Coring said yesterday that the location - a historic port town about 30 miles (48 km) south of Wilmington - was “targeted."

He could face additional charges, Coring added.

Edge was armed with a short-barreled AR rifle, equipped with a suppressor, with a folding stock and scope, according to charging documents.

He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday, District Attorney Jon David said.

Edge is being held without bond after being booked into the Brunswick County Detention Center early on Sunday, according to its records.

Among the five people hospitalized with injuries, at least one “is now clinging for their life,” David added.

Some of the victims were vacationers from out of town.

It has also been revealed that Edge once escorted singer Kellie Pickler to the Country Music Awards in 2012.

He featured in a photo in his Marine uniform alongside his service dog Rusty.

Pickler tweeted a picture of them together with the caption, "Me and my date (Sgt Sean Debevoise)."