Police identify Michigan church shooting suspect as man who attended with his mother
DETROIT — Police on June 23 identified the heavily armed suspect who was fatally shot by security after he opened fire outside a Michigan church filled with worshipers as a man who attended the church with his mother.
Brian Browning, 31, was shot and killed on June 22 at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, a western suburb of Detroit. Browning had attempted to burst into a morning service at the church before another person tried to stop him with their truck, according to police.
The church's security team then intervened and exchanged gunfire, police said. One worshiper told the Detroit Free Press, part of the Paste BN Network, that the church had trained for such a situation and credited it with protecting "all those attending," which included children.
"In today's society, any training that can preserve life is beneficial," Wayne Deputy Chief Finley Carter said, adding that people should "remain vigilant and remain aware and prepared for an event."
By late morning on June 23, police said it was still unclear why Browning had targeted the church, but detectives suggested that it may have been a result of a "mental health crisis." Browning had no previous contact with the Wayne Police Department or criminal history, authorities added.
Police said Browning had lived with his mother, who is a member of the church. In the past year, he had attended two or three services at the church, according to police.
Further investigation revealed that Browning had carried several weapons, including an assault-style rifle, more than a dozen fully loaded magazines, a semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The weapons were all legally acquired, police noted.
'Grateful for the heroic actions of the church's staff members'
At a news conference on June 22, Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong said authorities were "grateful for the heroic actions of the church's staff members," who he added "undoubtedly saved many lives and prevented a large-scale mass shooting."
The suspect arrived as services were underway at around 11 a.m. local time and began firing his weapon outside the church, police said. He wore camouflage clothing and a tactical vest and was armed with a long gun and a handgun.
A witness described seeing a man, who was driving a silver SUV "erratically" in the parking lot before parking the vehicle on the west side of the church building, according to police. The man then got his guns out of the vehicle and headed toward the church entrance, police said.
Minutes later, multiple 911 calls reported that the man fired a weapon before a churchgoer tried to stop him by hitting him with their pickup truck. Strong said the suspect had shot at the truck repeatedly.
The church's security team heard the gunfire and immediately responded, according to police. The security team confronted the suspect outside the church's main entrance and exchanged gunfire. They also locked the doors so he couldn't get into the church, police said.
At least two church security staff members shot the suspect, causing the fatal wounds, according to Strong. One church security member, whose name was not released by police, was hit in the leg by gunfire and taken to a local hospital.
When officers arrived at the scene, police said they tried to save the suspect's life but were unsuccessful.
Police said the church security member was in stable condition after a successful surgery. Police later clarified that the security team members were not commercial guard service employees.
Police said a search of Browning's home uncovered rifles, semi-automatic handguns, and ammunition.
'We all got out safely'
Don Schlamb, who emailed the Free Press after the shooting, briefly described what unfolded in the church, saying: "There's a lot of hurting people out there right now. We must pray for everyone."
Schlamb was, he wrote, in the front row for service on June 22 and helped move the children to safety.
"Praise the Lord, we all got out safely," he added. "I was one of the first people who helped set up the security team at our church. We trained for situations like this. The program we put in place worked perfectly to protect all those attending the church."
Police estimated that there were more than 100 people at the church at the time of the shooting. A video recording of the worship service, which was streaming online, has been removed.
According to some accounts, the service included a Vacation Bible School presentation.
Incident comes amid rise in violence against churches
In a statement to the Free Press, police pointed out that after U.S. airstrikes over the weekend on Iran, there was "no evidence to believe that this act of violence has any connection" to the Middle East conflict.
In recent years, law enforcement officials have warned of targeted violence against houses of worship, faith-based organizations, and faith leaders in the United States. Officials have urged faith-based institutions to set up a "robust security plan," according to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
"Violent extremists probably consider faith-based institutions to be attractive targets because of their symbolism, perceived lack of security, accessible locations, and violent extremist messaging glorifying past attacks and advocating future targeting," according to the Joint Counterterrorism Assessment Team.
Hostility and violence against churches across the country are at a high, according to a report by the Family Research Council, which found more than 430 incidents nationwide in 2023 — more than double the number in 2022 and an 800% increase in incidents since 2018.