
Police say church staff shot man with handgun and a long gun, averting a potential mass shooting
WAYNE, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan police chief said church staff stopped a man armed with a handgun and a long gun, averting a potential mass shooting at a church west of Detroit on Sunday morning.
Chief Ryan Strong said parishioners at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne spotted the gunman driving recklessly and then saw him exit his vehicle wearing a tactical vest and carrying weapons. The man began firing as he approached the building and was confronted, Strong said at an evening news conference.
“A parishioner struck the gunman with his vehicle as the gunman shot the vehicle repeatedly,” Strong said. “At least two staff members shot the gunman, causing the fatal wounds.”
Strong said the gunman’s motive remains unclear, but it appears he was suffering from a mental health crisis.