The man who opened fire outside a Michigan church filled with worshippers before he was struck by a vehicle and fatally shot by security staff had attended services there a few times with his mother, the lead pastor said Monday.
Brian Anthony Browning’s mother attended the CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne in spurts but was not a regular member, Pastor Bobby Kelly said. She was not there Sunday, said Kelly, who recalled meeting her son late last year.
“He first came when his mother invited him, and I met him,” Kelly said. “He seemed to really have some thoughts that were not threatening or anything like that, but he definitely had some thoughts as far as hearing from God.”
Children from the church’s vacation Bible school were leading Sunday’s worship and were just finishing up their last song when the congregation heard gunfire outside. Kelly, who was about to start his sermon, initially thought the noise was a jackhammer or a problem with the sound system.
“The third time is when we knew something was going on, because it was very close, and then one of our security team members came into the sanctuary doors from the lobby and told everyone to get out,” he said.
A livestream video shows people carrying children or directing them to get down and move away.
“C’mon, everybody to the back,” a woman calls out. The woman, who was initially crouching between two rows of seats, stands and waves an arm. “Please, everyone come to the back!”
People, some of them ducking their heads, rush out as others can be heard yelling “Go!” and “Come on!”
A loud crack is heard and people cry out. Those remaining run and walk quickly out of sight.
Browning, 31, did not have any previous contacts with local police or a criminal history but may have been suffering a mental health crisis, the Wayne Police Department said in a news release.
Kelly said a church member arriving late to the service spotted Browning driving recklessly and called out to him as he exited his car wearing a tactical vest and carrying a rifle and a handgun. The church member struck Browning with his pickup truck.
“He is a hero,” Kelly said of the parishioner. “I think that was the Lord leading him to do that. He hit this individual with his car, drove right on the grass because he was shooting at the building at the time. And that certainly helped the team to be able to respond.”
The man began firing as he approached the church, striking one person in the leg. At least two staff members shot him, Police Chief Ryan Strong said. About 150 people were inside the church at the time.
“We are grateful for the heroic actions of the church’s staff members, who undoubtedly saved many lives and prevented a large-scale mass shooting,” the chief said at a news conference Sunday night.
One member of the security team was shot in the leg and was listed in stable condition at a hospital after undergoing surgery, the news release said. No one else was hurt.
Wayne is a city of about 17,000 people located about 25 miles west of Detroit. Police executing a search warrant at Browning’s home in Romulus, about 5 miles south of Wayne, found additional rifles, several more handguns and a large amount of ammunition, the news release said.
Browning’s mother did not respond to a Facebook message sent Sunday by The Associated Press.
Worshipper Wendy Bodin said she heard a loud “boom” and when she looked outside, she saw a man sprawled out on the grass in front of the church. “I thought he got hit or crashed his car or was hurt,” Bodin told WXYZ-TV. “And another lady saw and pointed to me and said, ‘Oh my, call 911!’”
Kelly, who has been pastor for about 10 years, had intended to preach about God’s “hand of deliverance” and His ability to save and protect. In drawing up the church calendar, he originally planned to have two outdoor services in June but months ago decided to only do one, on Father’s Day.
“We weren’t outside yesterday when we would have been,” he said. “We were definitely protected by the hand of God, there is no question about it.”