Brave parishioners and security team members at a Minnesota church are being praised for their quick-thinking actions that reportedly saved dozens of lives Sunday when a gunman opened fire.
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Chaos erupted around Crosspointe Community Church around 11 a.m., when a now-deceased suspect is said to have been driving erratically outside of the church. This individual reportedly then got out of his car with a long gun, handgun, and tactical vest and started shooting, WXYZ-TV reported.
Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong credited church members for saving the day after the 31-year-old male suspect — identified by police as Brian Anthony Browning — attacked. Authorities said he appeared to be suffering a mental health crisis, though a motive is not yet clear.
The man’s mother purportedly attended the church regularly, and Browning also attended a few times over the past year, according to NBC News.
“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,” Strong said. “Their actions prevented dozens of people from being murdered.”
The police chief confirmed that “at least two staff members” shot the gunman. A security guard was shot in the leg but did not sustain life-threatening wounds.
CrossPointe Community Church Senior Pastor Bobby Kelly, Jr., confirmed these details in an interview with The Detroit News.
“[The suspect] was run over by one of our members who saw this happening when he was coming into church,” Kelly said.
The horrific event unfolded while children inside the church were performing songs they learned during Vacation Bible School; there were around 150 people inside the building at the time.
Video shared by WDIV-TV and other outlets shows kids and adults fleeing the pews the moment the situation became apparent.
The gunman never entered the building but did fire shots into the exterior.
“The VBS kids were up on stage giving the little songs that they learned, and I had to use the restroom and I was on my cell phone,” Wendy Bodin, who was inside the church when the shooting unfolded, told WXYZ-TV. “I went out to the front of the building where the grass is, and I saw a man on the ground. I heard a big boom and I thought he got hit or crashed his car or was hurt, and another lady saw and pointed to me and said, ‘Oh my, call 911!'”
Pray for peace for the church members and those impacted by this tragic event.
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