The Devil Is Busy: Michigan Church Shooter Opens Fire, Stopped by Congregation
CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan, was the site of a shooting on June 22. (Credit: AP)
At A Glance
A shooting at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan on June 22 left one person injured.
The incident ended when a deacon ran over the male shooter, and a church security guard fatally shot him.
According to the church’s pastor, the shooter did not appear to be a member of the congregation.
Wayne, Michigan (EEW News) — A gunman opened fire during a service at a suburban Detroit church on Sunday, wounding one person before he was shot and killed by a security guard, police said.
The shooting happened at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, a city of about 17,000 people outside Detroit around 11 a.m., the church’s pastor, Bobby Kelly Jr., told the Detroit News.
Police said one person was shot in the leg.
Multiple police department officials were on the scene (Credit: The Detroit News)
Kelly said that one of the church members ran over the attacker in a Ford F-150 truck after witnessing the incident unfold as he arrived at the church. Police described the suspect as a 31-year-old White male.
The person who was shot in the leg was the security guard, the pastor told the newspaper. No one else was hurt, he said.
Kelly said the attacker never entered the building but fired several shots into the church from outside.
At the time, around 150 people were attending a special vacation Bible school service, with more children present than usual.
Most congregants initially thought the sounds were related to nearby construction and continued with the service until a security guard instructed everyone to evacuate.
A short video clip from the church service shows some members starting to leave the room. A woman at the front calls out, “Please, everybody come to the back,” prompting more people to follow.
After a clicking sound, several people scream and the rest quickly exit.
According to Kelly, CrossPointe Community Church formed a security team about ten years ago in response to violence at other houses of worship across the country, even though their church in Wayne has never received any threats.
“We are sitting ducks to someone who wants to come and do harm,” Kelly said.
He added that the children who were there on Sunday are “doing good,” and that church members are supporting one another.
“We will be convening our leadership to put a formal plan in place for the aftermath,” Kelly said.
Messages left by The Associated Press on Sunday with the Wayne Police Department, on the church voicemail and on the church’s Facebook page were not immediately returned.
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