Wayne church shooting suspect had religious concerns, debated with pastor before attacking ceremony

WAYNE, Mich. (FOX 2) - The man accused of attempting to carry out a mass shooting at a Wayne church had previously debated with CrossPointe Community Church's pastor about religion. 

But questions about why the Romulus man allegedly tried murdering parishioners looms large over the case - without an easy answer available. 

Big picture view:

Months before 31-year-old Brian Browning attacked a religious ceremony in the community of Wayne, he had visited the CrossPointe Community Church to debate with the pastor.

The Romulus man had intended to carry out a mass shooting at the church on Sunday morning. Armed with an AR-15-style rifle and 500 rounds of ammunition, he opened fire at the church before being run over by a truck driven by one of the parishioners. A security guard fatally shot him afterward.

A day later, Pastor Bobby Kelly Jr. recalled the conversation with Browning, who told him he was a prophet.

"He said he heard from God," Kelly said on Monday.

The two had a private meeting earlier in 2025 where Browning expressed religious concerns.

"He had some questions about the Bible. He kind of challenged me on some things in the Bible and so we went back-and-forth about some scripture for a little bit," said Kelly.

The pastor met with Browning again in February, where it appeared the man was seeking help.

"He seemed to be genuine about needing some help. I don’t know exactly what it was cause he didn’t say - didn’t say it was mental health. He didn’t say it was an issue that he had or any of that, he just said you know, ‘can you help me with some things?’ and I said sure," said Kelly.

Dig deeper:

Browning had another connection to CrossPointe Community Church. His mother had been a member of the group for months.

"She was recently baptized at one of our services, I believe in October of last year and we’ve been knowing her for many years," said Kelly.

That's when the pastor spoke with Browning - the last time the two would meet before Sunday.

While Browning had no criminal history, police confirmed he had been experiencing a mental health crisis in the lead-up to the shooting. There was no connection to unrest in the Middle East, despite concerns the two could be linked.

Local perspective:

Police were initially told by witnesses that a man had been behaving erratically outside the church around 11 a.m. Sunday.

He then exited his SUV in the parking lot, grabbed several firearms, and, while wearing camouflage and a tactical vest, approached the church and started shooting.

According to Larry Ward, who is familiar with the church's security, the gunman unloaded his weapon into the church.

"The bullets came through and busted all the AC lines, went through here," he said.

Ward says Browning reloaded his AR-15 "twice, maybe three times."

"He shot a lot of rungs," he said.

One of those rounds struck a security guard in the leg.

Another parishioner told FOX 2 on Sunday she heard the sound of gunfire before running to the bathroom to hide.

"I hid with another parishioner, and we heard footsteps running and a lot of gunshots," Wendy Bodin said. "We just stayed there until everything was quiet."

What they're saying:

Wayne Police spent hours investigating the scene before reporting details, including offering a thanks to the members of the church.

"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," said police chief Ryan Strong.

As for the motive behind it, the pastor is unsure what to make of Browning's actions.