The man who opened fire outside a church in Wayne, Michigan, filled with worshipers before being hit by a vehicle, then fatally shot down by the security staff had attended services on the past year and his mother is a member, police announced.
Several people can be seen transport or direct the children to manage and move away in a live video from the Sunday morning service at Crosspointe Community Church in Wayne.
“Come on, everyone in the back,” says a woman. The woman, who was initially crouching between two rows of seats, stands and agitates an arm. “Please, everyone is back!”
People, some lowered their heads, rush while others can be heard screaming “Come on!” And “Go!”
A noisy crack is heard and people can be heard shouting while those who stay running and getting out of sight quickly.
The shooter, 31, had no prior contact with local police or criminal history, but may have undergone a mental health crisis, Wayne police department said in a press release.
The faithful of the church who attended a morning service at Crosspointe Community Church have spotted the shooter by driving recklessly and then saw him get out of his car with a tactical vest and carrying a rifle and a handgun, said police chief Ryan Strong during a Sunday 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.”
The shooting took place around 11 a.m. in Wayne, a city of around 17,000 people located approximately 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
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.
