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A security guard at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne was shot twice in a leg during the confrontation and was awaiting surgery at a hospital Sunday night, Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong said at a news conference.
He described the injuries as “non-life-threatening.”
Authorities initially said the security guard returned fire and took out the shooter, but police now say he was not one of the church staffers who opened fire on the gunman just after 11 a.m.
The gunman came to the attention of the staffers when he drove recklessly before he arrived, got out of a vehicle and opened fire steps away from the church, Strong said.
The man had on a tactical vest and carried the two firearms but was quickly confronted and was not only fatally shot but also hit by a driver and a churchgoer, the chief said.
“A parishioner struck the gunman with his vehicle as the gunman shot the vehicle repeatedly,” he said. “At least two staff members shot the gunman, causing fatal wounds.”
Strong said the staffers who opened fire may have prevented a tragic mass shooting by a person he described as possibly “suffering a mental health crisis” who was virtually unknown to the church. He said police had “limited” interaction with the man.
“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.
Deputy Chief Finley Carter III earlier described him as a 31-year-old man. Police later said he is from Romulus, a city about 5 miles south of Wayne. His name was not released.
Authorities said the investigation is ongoing and urged the public to avoid the area. The church, on Glenwood Road, is about 30 miles west of Detroit.
“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 on X.
A video livestream from inside the church captured the moment the congregation reacted to reports of the shooter, with people running from the room and taking cover behind chairs.
Gunfire could be heard as a woman on a stage, standing before a campground-themed backdrop, wrapped up her remarks about the children’s activities and programs at the church. People in the pews, who included children, began yelling and rushing out of view of the camera.
“Everybody to the back, please, everybody come to the back. Come to the back,” someone says in the video.
A woman described a “frantic” phone call she received from her mother, who said she was hiding in the woods with the woman’s 80-year-old aunt.
“All I heard from my mom was that my aunt was there when bullets were flying and that she had blood on her from the security guard,” the woman said.
Another witness described the terrifying moment she heard rapid popping noises and ran to the bathroom, where she hid, sitting on a toilet with another person.
“It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been involved in,” she told NBC News.
