Planning and Quick Action Prevent Tragedy at Michigan Church
On Sunday, 22 June, in Wayne, Michigan, the pastor of CrossPointe Community Church said the “hand of God” came down to protect the approximately 150 parishioners at the morning church service.
Leaving the divine intervention aside, this is how the situation unfolded.
Shortly after the 11:00 a.m. services started, a church member running a few minutes late drove his pickup into the church parking lot. He saw someone else arriving who seemed to be driving erratically. Then saw a man wearing tactical gear exit the vehicle with a long gun and head for the hall of worship.
The pickup driver called out to the man, and when the call did not seem to deter the man, the pickup driver drove onto the church grounds toward the man, who police later named as Brian Browning. Browning opened fire on the pickup driver, who drove his truck into Browning.
This alerted the lay security volunteers of the danger. One called out warnings to the congregation, which began to duck and run for cover. Two church security personnel exchanged gunfire with Browning. The assailant, only a few feet from the entrance, died from the injuries sustained, and one of the security personnel suffered a non-life-threatening bullet wound in the leg.
Investigations are ongoing, but the incident itself unfolded in a way that demonstrated the importance of security planning for houses of worship.
Crosspoint Community Pastor Bobby Kelly told Detroit NBC affiliate WDIV that the church began an intensive security program more than 10 years ago.
Start with situational awareness. Just having a security program shows that the church worked to ensure members had a baseline of understanding that such an attack could happen, which reinforces a societal awareness of the issue—particularly in the United States where mass shootings still occur with greater frequency than in other Western countries, despite research showing a slight decline in incidents.
This led the pickup driver, who has not been named in media reports, to try to distract the assailant at significant personal risk. And when that didn’t work, the driver intervened by ramming the assailant with his vehicle, both delaying the assailant and raising the alarm inside.
Meanwhile, inside the church, footage shows the quick reactions in a panicked situation. A woman calls out directions as congregants duck for cover. The hall began to clear very quickly, demonstrating that any delaying tactics in place likely would have helped prevent injuries and death.
Outside the church, the more involved security practices of Crosspointe Community Church became evident. The church had service guards on duty at Sunday services. The guards, all members of the church, took classes to obtain a concealed carry license and trained on active shooter situations.
The two guards on duty were able to stop the assailant from entering the church building.
“Us having this team certainly saved lives and that’s proof to at least think about that and have some things in place,” Kelly told assembled media. “Churches do need to protect the people. I can’t say they need to do exactly what we do, but they need to be prepared for things like this.”
The church used the U.S. Concealed Carry Association to train its member guards so they could obtain a concealed carry license in Michigan and on active assailant procedures. Many other companies also have specialized training for security in houses of worship.
“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,” Wayne Chief of Police Ryan Strong told assembled media. “I would add that the church parishioners and staff members were trained in responding to emergency situations, which also saved lives. …Their actions prevented dozens of people from being murdered today.”
Jay Trombley was one of the church security guards who exchanged fire with the assailant. The account he told Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ after the incident: "I heard a noise, thought it was mechanical at first, turned to see people running, asked them through a door what had happened. I thought it was in the cry room and a young woman said, 'AR-15,' and I said, 'Where?' She pointed and I headed in that direction."
Up until that moment, he admitted he was not sure what he would do. “The one thing that has always been in the back of my mind, a question: If I hear that noise, will I run to it or will I run from it?”
Based on information that has been released about Browning, there was little that indicated he planned to attack the church. His mother is a member of the church but was not in the building at the time of the incident. Kelly said that he had spoken with Browning on three occasions and that Browning had told him that God was speaking to him.
“This young man was definitely struggling mentally,” Kelly said. However, he did not sense that Browning was violent or dangerous.
Browning had mentioned attending the church in previous social media posts but the posts were not malevolent. How or when he obtained the AR-15-style weapon and handgun used in the attack has not been released publicly; however, police said he has no police record nor any history of violence that they have uncovered.
The U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has several resources to assist houses of worship in developing security plans, including a six-step guidance document and a two-page, illustrated “Perimeter Security Considerations” document.
In 2023, Security Management published several resources useful for those interested in security at houses of worship, including a checklist of security concerns for such properties.
Another article addresses the unique aspects of security at houses of worship because houses of worship favor an open, welcoming culture.
“Unfortunately, extremists and malicious actors have no qualms about taking advantage of this culture to gain access to targets,” Jaime Alejandro Pulido Pardo, CPP, wrote. “A mindset shift for religious stakeholders is not about eradicating the goal of a peaceful, welcoming environment, but it’s more about awareness—making all faith members alert to the security challenges they face, finding the balance that fits best with their unique needs, and being able to safely gather without fear of harm.”
A short video lists 11 security scenarios religious personnel should prepare for; number one on the list: A mentally disturbed person.
Finally, ASIS International has a Cultural Properties Community that includes a Houses of Worship Subcommittee. The subscommittee’s library has several resources of interest to houses of worship (community is open to ASIS members only).
