WAYNE, Mich. (AP) — A pastor said Monday that the “hand of God” prevented a mass shooting at his Detroit-area church when an armed man was struck by a pickup truck and fatally shot by security staff before he could enter and attack more than 100 people.
On Monday, a day after the thwarted attack, the leader of CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne praised the actions of the security team, which has been in place for more than 10 years. Pastor Bobby Kelly said he had met the gunman three times in the past.
“I can’t say for sure what was in his heart or in his mind because he’s never threatened me in any way,” Kelly told The Associated Press. “This young man was definitely struggling mentally. He thought he was hearing from God. We had some conversations about that.”
Children from the church’s vacation Bible school were leading Sunday’s worship and were finishing a song when the congregation heard gunfire outside. Kelly, who was poised to start his sermon, initially thought the noise was coming from a construction crew.
A member of the security team rushed in and told everyone to get out. A livestream video shows people carrying children or directing them to get down and move away.
Kelly said a church member arriving late had spotted Brian Browning driving recklessly and called out to the gunman as he exited his car wearing a tactical vest and carrying a rifle and a handgun. The church member struck him with his pickup truck.
Browning, 31, began firing as he approached the church, striking one person in the leg. At least two staff members shot him, Wayne police Chief Ryan Strong said.
“He is a hero,” Kelly said of the pickup driver. “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.”
Browning did not have any previous contacts with police but may have been suffering a mental health crisis, police said.
The “heroic actions of the church’s staff members” saved many lives, Strong said Sunday night.
Wayne is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Detroit. Police found additional rifles, handguns and a large amount of ammunition during a search of Browning’s house nearby in Romulus.
Browning’s mother occasionally attended the church services but was not there on Sunday. The pastor said he spoke to her after the shooting.
“To console her, to let her know that she shouldn’t feel guilty about his actions … and that we still are there for her as well,” Kelly said. “She is a grieving mom right now because of this tragedy.”
Dustin Fuoco was managing the church audio equipment. When the congregation dashed for the doors — “instant panic” — he anxiously looked for his wife and son and found them safe outside in a wooded area.
“It sounded like a jackhammer,” Fuoco said of the shots. “Twenty seconds later, we ended up hearing that same round of 10 shots. And that’s when the realization sunk in that this was a shooter.”
The pastor said the church had a security team even before he arrived in 2016, introduced by the previous church leadership in response to shootings that had happened elsewhere.
“Most people would never even know if they came to our church,” Kelly said. “Some that are armed and some that are not. But they are trained.”
He had intended to preach about God’s “hand of deliverance” and His ability to protect. In drawing up the church calendar, Kelly had planned to have two outdoor services in June but months ago decided only on one.
“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.”
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Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press photographer Paul Sancya contributed to this story.