An incident occurred when an armed 31-year-old man was fatally shot by church staff after he began indiscriminately firing outside the church during a children's Vacation Bible School performance.
The gunman has been identified as Brian Browning, who, according to investigators, attended the church with his mother. The incident occurred around 11 a.m. and resulted in one security guard being injured.
Browning, who was wearing a tactical vest and armed with both an AR-15 style rifle and a handgun along with more than a dozen fully loaded magazines, arrived at the church following erratic driving in the area, as reported by WXYZ.
Church staff first noticed Browning's suspicious behavior near the church's parking lot. Exiting his vehicle armed, he began shooting towards the church, where children were on stage performing.
In a brave attempt to stop him, a parishioner tried to run Browning over with a vehicle. Browning responded by shooting at the vehicle multiple times. The situation escalated further until two members of the church staff returned fire, killing him.
During the gunfire exchange, a church security guard was shot twice in the leg and subsequently taken to a local hospital, with his injuries described as non-life-threatening. Contrary to initial beliefs, police clarified that the guard did not shoot Browning.
The shooting began just as the church service transitioned into a Vacation Bible School performance. Children on stage, singing in front of a campground-themed backdrop, were quickly ushered to safety amidst screams and chaos, as people took cover.
Authorities revealed that Browning lived in Romulus, a town located about 10 minutes from the church, which itself is about 25 miles west of Detroit. He was described as virtually unknown to the congregation, and police suggested that he might have been experiencing a mental health crisis.
Officials praised the rapid response of church staff and volunteers, crediting their prior emergency training for helping manage the situation effectively and minimizing further harm.
