(Adnkronos) – Security guards at a church in Michigan opened fire and killed a gunman, thus averting “a mass shooting”. The Wayne police, a suburb of Detroit, reported this, explaining that the man, who was wearing a military vest and had a long-barreled rifle and a pistol, got out of his truck and was approaching the church, starting to shoot. At this point the security guards opened fire on the gunman, who, before being mortally wounded, returned fire, wounding one of the guards in the leg.
Police stressed that the “heroic actions” of the CrossPointe church security staff “undoubtedly saved many lives.” The gunman has been identified as 31-year-old Brian Anthony Browning, who, according to police, had no criminal record but suffered from psychiatric problems. His mother is a member of the church community and the suspect had attended religious services a couple of times last year, according to the Abcnews website.
“There is no evidence to believe that this act of violence is in any way connected to the conflict in the Middle East,” added the Michigan town police, who received investigative support from FBI teams, as stated by the bureau’s deputy director Dan Bongino. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also reiterated the mobilization of federal forces for the investigation, with an explicit reference to the fact that “the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran brings the possibility of increased threats” domestically.
