(WAYNE, Mich.) — An alleged active shooter intent on attacking a Michigan church on Sunday was shot and killed by a security guard who “prevented a large-scale mass shooting,” police said.
The shooting unfolded around 11:15 a.m. local time at the CrossPointe Community Church in the Detroit suburb of Wayne, according to the Wayne Police Department.
“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 Police Chief Ryan Strong said during a press conference on Sunday.
The gunman was identified as Brian Anthony Browning, 31, from Romulus, Michigan. His motivations are unknown, according to police, though officials said he appeared to be suffering from a mental health crisis.
Browning had no criminal history. His mother is a member of the church and the suspect attended two or three services over the course of the last year, police said.
Police said the suspect exited his Nissan truck wearing a tactical vest, armed with a long gun and a handgun, when he approached the church building and began firing his weapon. Several staff members from the church approached the gunman, police said, adding that a parishioner struck the gunman with his vehicle as the gunman shot the vehicle repeatedly.
At least two staff members shot the gunman, causing fatal wounds. One staff member, a member of the security team, was shot once in the leg by the suspect. They underwent a successful surgery and are expected to recover, police said.
The church staff members do not wish to be identified, police said.
At this point, the Wayne Police Department is still investigating this incident, with the assistance of multiple local, state and federal partners.
A bomb-sniffing dog was brought to the scene by the Michigan State Police and a police bomb squad was also brought to the scene, according to officials, but there was no immediate confirmation from police that explosives were involved in the incident.
“Our leadership and support teams are on the ground, at the scene, in Wayne, Michigan providing assistance and investigative support,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a statement.
The church shooting came during a heightened threat environment across the country following the U.S. attack overnight in Iran that destroyed or severely degraded three of Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to White House officials.
Police said, “There is no evidence to believe that this act of violence has any connection with the conflict in the Middle East.”
Acknowledging the heightened threat environment, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement that “it is our duty to keep the nation safe and informed, especially during times of conflict.”
“The ongoing Israel-Iran conflict brings the possibility of increased threat to the homeland in the form of possible cyberattacks, acts of violence, and antisemitic hate crime,” Noem said.
The attack in Wayne came in the wake of a public bulletin the Department of Homeland Security issued after the U.S. strikes in Iran, warning that “low-level cyber attacks” against U.S. targets “are likely” and that extremists inside the U.S. would be more likely to turn to violence if Iranian leadership calls for such retaliation.
The bulletin further urges the public to report any suspicious activity.
It was not immediately known if the church attack has any connection to the U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The attack occurred about a half-hour after Sunday-morning services at CrossPointe Community Church started, according to police.
Officers arriving at the scene quickly evacuated the church after learning that a security guard stopped the attack by shooting and killing the suspect, according to police.
The suspect’s name was not immediately released. The security guard was also not immediately identified by authorities.
ABC News’ Luke Barr, Pierre Thomas, Mariama Jalloh, Victoria Arancio and Jessica Gorman contributed to this report.
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