Police say a man opened fire outside a Michigan church before staff fatally shot him : NPR
Police walks by an inactive vehicle near the community church of Crosspointe in Wayne, Michigan, Sunday June 23, 2025.
Paul Sancya / AP
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Paul Sancya / AP
Wayne, Michigan – A man who opened fire outside a church in Michigan filled with faithful on Sunday was hit by a vehicle, then fatally shot down by the security personnel who avoided a potential mass shooting, the police announced.
The faithful of the church who attend a morning service in Crosspoint Community Church in Wayne spotted the shooter by driving recklessly and then saw him get out of his car with a tactical vest and wear a rifle and a handgun, said police chief Ryan Strong during an evening press conference.
The man started to shoot while he was approaching the church, hitting a person in his leg.
“A parishioner struck the shooter with his vehicle while the shooter fired on the vehicle several times,” said Strong to journalists. “At least two staff members fired on the shooter, causing deadly injuries.”
Police described the suspect as a 31 -year -old white man with no known link with the church. His reason is not clear, but it seems that he suffered from a mental health crisis, said Strong.
The shooting took place around 11 a.m. in Wayne, a city of around 17,000 people located around 40 miles (40 kilometers) west of Detroit. The person who was shot dead has been treated for injuries not putting their life in danger, said the chief. No one else was injured.
Strong said that a member of the church had returned the suspect with his van, giving the security staff time to shoot him.
“We are grateful to the heroic actions of the members of the staff of the Church, who have undoubtedly saved many lives and prevented a large -scale mass shooting,” said the chief.
About 150 people were inside the church at the time. The church website indicates that it is organizing a worship service on Sunday at 10:45 am
The worshiper Wendy Bodin said that she had heard a strong “boom” and when she looked outside, she saw a man extended on the grass in front of the church. “I thought he had been struck or crushed his car or was injured,” Bodin told Wxyz-TV. “And another lady saw me and showed me and said to me,” Oh my God, call 911! “”
Wayne’s police vice-police, Finley Carter III, said a few hours later that he was too early to find out a reason. The deputy director of the FBI, Dan Bongino, tweeted that the office “the leadership and support teams” were on the scene and helped the investigation.
The messages left by the Associated Press on Sunday on voicemail and a Facebook page for the church were not immediately returned.
