Latest news with #BrianBrowning
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Security guard kills Michigan church gunman, preventing 'large-scale mass shooting'
An alleged active shooter intent on attacking a Michigan church on Sunday was shot and killed by a security guard who "prevented a large-scale mass shooting," police said. The shooting unfolded around 11:15 a.m. local time at the CrossPointe Community Church in the Detroit suburb of Wayne, according to the Wayne Police Department. "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," Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong said during a press conference on Sunday. The gunman was identified as Brian Anthony Browning, 31, from Romulus, Michigan. His motivations are unknown, according to police, though officials said he appeared to be suffering from a mental health crisis. Browning had no criminal history. His mother is a member of the church and the suspect attended two or three services over the course of the last year, police said. Police said the suspect exited his Nissan truck wearing a tactical vest, armed with a long gun and a handgun, when he approached the church building and began firing his weapon. Several staff members from the church approached the gunman, police said, adding that a parishioner struck the gunman with his vehicle as the gunman shot the vehicle repeatedly. At least two staff members shot the gunman, causing fatal wounds. One staff member, a member of the security team, was shot once in the leg by the suspect. They underwent a successful surgery and are expected to recover, police said. The church staff members do not wish to be identified, police said. At this point, the Wayne Police Department is still investigating this incident, with the assistance of multiple local, state and federal partners. A bomb-sniffing dog was brought to the scene by the Michigan State Police and a police bomb squad was also brought to the scene, according to officials, but there was no immediate confirmation from police that explosives were involved in the incident. "Our leadership and support teams are on the ground, at the scene, in Wayne, Michigan providing assistance and investigative support," FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a statement. The church shooting came during a heightened threat environment across the country following the U.S. attack overnight in Iran that destroyed or severely degraded three of Iran's nuclear facilities, according to White House officials. Police said, "There is no evidence to believe that this act of violence has any connection with the conflict in the Middle East." Acknowledging the heightened threat environment, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement that "it is our duty to keep the nation safe and informed, especially during times of conflict." "The ongoing Israel-Iran conflict brings the possibility of increased threat to the homeland in the form of possible cyberattacks, acts of violence, and antisemitic hate crime," Noem said. MORE: Amid recent string of attacks inspired by Israel-Hamas war, some experts worry counterterrorism not a priority The attack in Wayne came in the wake of a public bulletin the Department of Homeland Security issued after the U.S. strikes in Iran, warning that "low-level cyber attacks" against U.S. targets "are likely" and that extremists inside the U.S. would be more likely to turn to violence if Iranian leadership calls for such retaliation. The bulletin further urges the public to report any suspicious activity. It was not immediately known if the church attack has any connection to the U.S. attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. MORE: Minnesota lawmakers assassination timeline: 'He stalked his victims like prey' The attack occurred about a half-hour after Sunday-morning services at CrossPointe Community Church started, according to police. Officers arriving at the scene quickly evacuated the church after learning that a security guard stopped the attack by shooting and killing the suspect, according to police. The suspect's name was not immediately released. The security guard was also not immediately identified by authorities. ABC News' Luke Barr, Pierre Thomas, Mariama Jalloh, Victoria Arancio and Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Michigan police ID slain church shooter, reveal his connection to congregation
Michigan police have released the identity of the gunman who opened fire on a Sunday church service in Wayne, Michigan. The Wayne Police Department named the now-deceased shooter as Brian Anthony Browning, 31, of Romulus, Michigan. Police have not commented on a potential motive, but they said Browning's mother is a member of the church, and the suspect attended services two or three times over the last year. "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," Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong said in a statement Sunday. Browning was armed with an AR-15-style rifle, more than a dozen fully-loaded magazines, an automatic handgun with an extended magazine and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, police said. Police received multiple 911 calls from CrossPointe Community Church on Sunday at 11:06 a.m. reporting a White male suspect, wearing camouflage clothing and a tactical vest, getting guns out of his car to go into the church. A witness told officials he saw the suspect driving a silver SUV "erratically in the church parking lot before he parked the vehicle on the west side of the building," police said in a press release. WATCH: Police ID slain church shooting suspect, say his mother was a parishioner Minutes later, police received multiple 911 calls reporting that shots had been fired, and a parishioner driving a pickup truck struck the alleged gunman in the parking lot. A church security guard then neutralized the shooter, according to police. "The church security team was alerted by the [gunfire] and reacted quickly to engage the suspect outside the main entrance doors of the church," police said. "The security team locked the front doors and exchanged [gunfire] with the suspect, who was shot and killed by a member of the security team. Officers arrived on scene and performed life-saving measures, but the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene by Wayne Fire Rescue." One person sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the leg, and authorities transported that person to a nearby hospital. The victim remains in stable condition after a successful surgical procedure, according to officials. Police executed a search warrant at the suspect's home and located additional rifles, several semi-automatic handguns and a "large amount of ammunition," all of which were confiscated. The suspect had no priors, but a preliminary investigation revealed that "he may have been suffering a mental health crisis," police said, adding that "[t]here is no evidence to believe that this act of violence has any connection with the conflict in the Middle East." Police also confirmed that an online live-stream of the Sunday service showed parishioners reacting to the shooting. The Wayne Police Department's investigation into the shooting is active and ongoing.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Michigan church shooter named after plowing into congregation armed with AR-15
A who opened fire on a church with an AR-15 was a man suffering a mental breakdown who attended the congregation with his mother. Brian Browning, 31, was shot dead by security guards at CrossPointe Church in Wayne, Michigan, on Sunday morning. He began the attack by ramming his Ford F-150 truck into the building before he opened fire during service. The Wayne Police Department said he 'may have been suffering a mental health crisis' and had nothing to do with organized terrorism. 'The suspect's mother is a member of the church, in which he has attended church services two or three times over the course of the last year,' it said. 'The church security team was alerted by the gunfire and reacted quickly to engage the suspect outside the main entrance doors of the church.' Horrific footage from a church service's livestream showed the moment that frantic families started running for their lives when an active shooter opened fire. The bloodcurdling video showed churchgoers suddenly realize the unfolding terror and run towards the door. Young children were seen on the stage and in the pews with their parents, before one member directed the congregation to 'get down' and run to the back of the building. Chilling screams, 'come on, come on,' were heard as kids and adults fled for their lives, followed by a loud bang and shouting off-screen. A spokesperson for the police department said multiple agencies are investigating the scene and have urged residents to stay away from the area. The shooting occurred around 11:15 am, about half an hour after the service began. It's unclear if anyone aside from the gunman was killed in the gunfire. The Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Dan Bongino, shared a statement on X that his department was on the ground providing 'assistance and investigative support' in Wayne. The church's senior pastors, Bobby Kelly Jr., told The Detroit News that a member ran the shooter over, giving the security guard a chance to shoot them. 'He [the suspect] was run over by one of our members who saw this happening when he was coming into church,' the pastor said. Kelly added that there were around 150 people in attendance for the vacation Bible school service. Many of the attendees were children. The pastor said that when the congregation initially heard noises outside, they thought it was from construction. The suspected shooter was driving a Ford F-150 when he crashed into the church building and opened fire He said that the church decided to hire a security team over a decade ago in response to accelerated violence against places of worship. Kelly said they felt like 'sitting ducks' without protection. The congregation's leadership is planning a meeting to put together a plan for dealing with the tragedy's aftermath. When asked about the children who witnessed the tragic events, he said they were 'doing good' and that the congregation was coming together to support one another. The church's official schedule had events listed from 9 am to 6 pm. CrossPointe also hosts Adult & Teen Sunday School and Kids Sunday School at the church from 9:30 to 10:30 am. Wendy Bodin, a witness at the church, told ClickOnDetroit that she was in the lobby answering a phone call when she saw the attacker. 'It was the scariest thing I've ever been involved in,' Bodin recalled. She said she initially thought the shooter had just crashed his car, but then fled to the bathroom when she heard gunshots. Police have yet to confirm the extent of the injuries of those involved or identify the suspect Bodin hid out in the bathroom with another person and then eventually fled the building to meet up with the congregation in the woods. 'I was hiding in one of the bathrooms and stood on the toilet and shut the door. We didn't know what was going on, but we knew it was bad.' She said she was grateful to the security team and the church leaders for following protocol. 'Fortunately they got everyone out of the building safe. We did have one man for sure got shot in the leg, but he's OK, from what I've been told. So. Praise God,' she added. Bodin added that the church held services outside last weekend for Father's Day and was grateful the attack didn't happen then. The investigation remains open and active as authorities work to determine a motive.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Gunman fatally shot at Michigan church had attended services in past year
The man who opened fire outside a Michigan church filled with worshippers before he was struck by a vehicle and then fatally shot by security staff had attended services there a couple of times in the last year and his mother is a member, police said. The gunman, identified as Brian Anthony 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. Churchgoers attending a Sunday morning service at CrossPointe Community church in Wayne spotted the gunman driving recklessly and then saw him exit his car wearing a tactical vest and carrying a rifle and a handgun, the police chief, Ryan Strong, said at an evening news conference. The man began firing as he approached the church, striking one person in the leg. A parishioner driving a pickup truck hit the man and the church security team locked the front doors and exchanged gunfire with the man, police said. At least two staff members shot him, 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. The shooting occurred in Wayne, a city of about 17,000 people located about 25 miles (40km) west of Detroit. 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. 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 on 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!'' The deputy chief of Wayne police, Finley Carter III, said hours later that it was too early to know a motive. The FBI deputy director, Dan Bongino, said on X that bureau 'leadership and support teams' were at the church and helping with the investigation. Messages left by the AP on Sunday on voicemail and a Facebook page for the church were not immediately returned.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man's mother is member of Michigan church where he opened fire before being shot
The man who opened fire outside a Michigan church filled with worshippers before he was struck by a vehicle and then fatally shot by security staff had attended services there a couple of times in the last year and his mother is a member, police said. The gunman, identified as Brian Anthony 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. Churchgoers attending a Sunday morning service at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne spotted the gunman driving recklessly and then saw him exit his car wearing a tactical vest and carrying a rifle and a handgun, police chief Ryan Strong said at an evening news conference. The man began firing as he approached the church, striking one person in the leg. A parishioner driving a pick-up truck hit the man and the church security team locked the front doors and exchanged gunfire with the man, police said. At least two staff members shot him, Mr 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. The shooting occurred in Wayne, a city of about 17,000 people located about 25 miles west of Detroit. 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. Police executing a search warrant at Browning's home in Romulus, about five miles south of Wayne, found additional rifles, several more handguns and a large amount of ammunition, the news release said. 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,' Ms Bodin told WXYZ-TV. 'And another lady saw and pointed to me and said, 'Oh my, call 911'.' Wayne Police deputy chief Finley Carter III said hours later that it was too early to know a motive. FBI deputy director Dan Bongino said on X that bureau 'leadership and support teams' were at the church and helping with the investigation.
