Crime
Suspect in Wayne CrossPointe Community Church Shooting Identified as 31-Year-Old Brian Browning
WAYNE, MI — Authorities have identified the suspect involved in Sunday’s attempted shooting at CrossPointe Community Church as 31-year-old Brian Browning, a white male from Romulus, Michigan.
Browning was fatally shot by a church security guard after allegedly attempting to carry out a violent attack during a morning worship service.
The incident occurred just after 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, June 22, 2025, during a special Vacation Bible School service attended by approximately 150 congregants, including many children.
The church is located at 36125 Glenwood Road in Wayne, between South Wayne and South Newburgh roads.
According to Senior Pastor Bobby Kelly Jr., the suspect arrived at the church wearing military-style gear and was visibly armed.
A church member—identified as a deacon—spotted Browning approaching the building and acted quickly, striking him with a vehicle in the church parking lot to delay the attack. This decisive action gave a trained church security guard time to respond and engage the suspect.
The armed security guard then shot and killed Browning before he was able to enter the building.
The guard, however, sustained a gunshot wound to the leg during the exchange. He is expected to recover.
No other injuries were reported among congregants.
Pastor Kelly confirmed that while Browning did not breach the sanctuary, several rounds were fired at the building. Congregants initially mistook the gunfire for construction noise before being instructed to evacuate by church security.
“He was run over by one of our members who saw this happening when he was coming into church,” said Pastor Kelly. “That gave our security guard enough time to act. His bravery likely saved many lives.”
Investigators also revealed that Browning had reportedly posted a cryptic photo on social media outside the church weeks prior to the attack, prompting questions about whether the church had been a planned target.
On May 25, Brian Browning, 31, posted a cryptic message on his Facebook page that read, “Sometimes God will ‘subtly’ show you the signs,” accompanied by an image of CrossPointe Community Church’s social media page.
Two days later, on May 27, he shared a photo of his friend Tyler standing outside the church.
Then, on June 22, he returned to the church and attempted to carry out a mass shooting during a Sunday morning service.
As of now, authorities have not confirmed a motive, and Browning is not believed to have been affiliated with the church.
In the hours following the incident, Wayne Police urged residents to avoid the area while the investigation remained active.
A large police presence was seen canvassing the property, and crime scene tape cordoned off the site as detectives gathered evidence and reviewed surveillance footage.
Initial reports suggested multiple victims, but church officials later clarified that only the security guard was injured during the confrontation.
Pastor Kelly said the children in attendance were “doing well” and praised the congregation’s resilience.
“We will be convening our leadership to put a formal plan in place for the aftermath,” Kelly said. “Our church family is coming together to support one another during this difficult time.”
CrossPointe Community Church established a security team nearly a decade ago in response to rising threats against places of worship nationwide. Pastor Kelly noted that the church had never received any threats prior to this attack.
“We are sitting ducks to someone who wants to come and do harm,” he said. “But today, the quick actions of our members and security team prevented a potential tragedy.”
As of Sunday afternoon, police had not yet released additional details or confirmed whether Browning had acted alone.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Authorities have identified the man shot and killed Friday afternoon in a parking lot outside a Little Caesars restaurant in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood.
The victim has been named as Stevens Jeffrey, 29, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The shooting occurred in the 2600 block of West Cermak Road near Rockwell Street at approximately 1:10 p.m., according to the Chicago Police Department (CPD).
Preliminary reports indicate that Jeffrey was sitting in his vehicle when he was approached by an unknown vehicle.
An armed individual exited that vehicle and opened fire, striking Jeffrey multiple times in the face and body.
Emergency responders arrived on the scene, where Jeffrey was pronounced dead. He was discovered inside his vehicle with his two young children, ages 4 and 6, who were unharmed.
Both children were transported to Stroger Hospital for precautionary evaluation.
The shooting took place in the parking lot of a Little Caesars restaurant, where investigators recovered multiple shell casings and placed numerous evidence markers on the ground.
As of Friday evening, no suspects are in custody, and detectives from the CPD Area Four Homicide Unit are leading the investigation. Police have not released information on a possible motive.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about this homicide to contact Chicago Police or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTip.com.