Michigan police have released the identity of the gunman who opened fire on a Sunday church service in Wayne, Michigan.
The shooter, now deceased, was identified by the Wayne Police Department as 31-year-old Brian Anthony Browning from Romulus, Michigan. The police have yet to disclose a possible motive, though they mentioned that Browning’s mother is part of the church, and the suspect had attended services a few times in the past year.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to the church staff’s heroic efforts, which unquestionably saved numerous lives and thwarted a mass shooting on a larger scale,” stated Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong in a release on Sunday.
According to police, Browning was equipped with an AR-15-style rifle, over a dozen fully-loaded magazines, an automatic handgun with an extended magazine, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Wayne police in Michigan responded to a shooting at CrossePoint Church on Sunday morning during a service. (Fox News)
Police executed a search warrant at the suspect’s home and located additional rifles, several semi-automatic handguns and a “large amount of ammunition,” all of which were confiscated.
The suspect had no priors, but a preliminary investigation revealed that “he may have been suffering a mental health crisis,” police said, adding that “[t]here is no evidence to believe that this act of violence has any connection with the conflict in the Middle East.”
Police also confirmed that an online live-stream of the Sunday service showed parishioners reacting to the shooting.
The Wayne Police Department’s investigation into the shooting is active and ongoing.
