Following an incident where an individual discharged a firearm during a Sunday service in Michigan, a church deacon and a security guard intervened to halt the assailant. On the morning of June 22, an active shooter situation unfolded at CrossPointe Community Church located in Wayne, a suburb of Detroit, as reported by a representative of the Wayne Police Department (WPD).
The church’s security guard fatally shot the attacker prior to the arrival of law enforcement officers, the spokesperson informed PEOPLE.
The security guard was able to take aim at the shooter — identified by police as a 31-year-old White male — because a deacon struck him with a vehicle, as stated by the pastor who witnessed the event. The attacker “was struck by one of our members who observed the incident while entering the church,” Senior Pastor Bobby Kelly Jr. informed Detroit News. According to the report, the deacon hit the attacker with a Ford F-150 truck.
Only one individual, identified by Detroit News as a security guard, sustained injuries during the attack on June 22. The local news source reported that the assailant discharged several rounds into the church but did not enter the premises, where Kelly estimated that approximately 150 individuals were present.
Footage from a livestream of the service — which had a higher than usual number of children in attendance, according to Kelly — captures the moment when those inside the church became aware of the assault. “Get down,” a voice can be heard instructing, as people began to react.
“Everyone to the back. Please, everyone, move to the back,” another church leader then urges, guiding the congregation towards the rear of the building.
In the aftermath of the attack, Kelly informed Detroit News that members of CrossPointe Community Church are providing support to one another, and the children who were present during the June 22 incident are “doing well.”
Regarding the way forward, the pastor stated, “We will be gathering our leadership to establish a formal plan for the aftermath.” The pastor also mentioned that the assailant did not seem to be affiliated with the church.
