WAYNE, Mich. – The Wayne police chief said the actions of church employees “prevented dozens of people from being murdered” when a man armed with a long gun and a hand gun arrived at a church.
Wayne police chief Ryan Strong spoke at a press conference before 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 22, 2025, to provide an update on a deadly shooting outside CrossPointe Community Church.
He said the department received multiple 911 calls starting at 11:06 a.m. on Sunday, June 22, 2025, reporting an active shooter at the church.
Witnesses told police that the gunman arrived at the church and began driving recklessly. When he exited his vehicle, he was wearing a tactical vest and was armed with a long gun and a hand gun. He approached the church and opened fire.
There were three to four church staff members in the area at the time. Strong said a parishioner struck the gunman with their vehicle as the gunman shot at the vehicle. At least two staff members shot the gunman, killing him.
One of the church staff members was shot in the leg, and is expected to survive.
Wayne police are working with local, state, and federal agencies to investigate the shooting.
“We are grateful for the heroic actions of the churches staff members, who undoubtably saved many lives and prevented a large-scale mass shooting,” Strong said.
What we know about the suspected shooter
Police said the suspected shooter was a 31-year-old man from Romulus.
His motivations are still unknown, but police said they believe he was suffering from a mental health crisis.
Police said they are not aware of any connections the man has with the church, and they believe he was working alone.
Police also said their interactions with the man in the past were “quite limited.”
Video shows crowd run from shooting
Video from inside the church shows the moment the crowd begins to react to the reports of a shooting.
The church had just wrapped up an event that was being live streamed to its YouTube page. The video shows the crowd clapping, some people begin to stand, and then shouting can be heard off screen.
CrossPointe’s lead pastor Bobby Kelly said the shooting happened around 11:15 a.m. He said the crowd wasn’t sure what the sound was at first -- thinking it may have been a skit or a jackhammer. It wasn’t until a security guard came in and told them to evacuate that they understood.
People in the church take cover behind chairs and then begin to run from the room. Someone tells them to go to the back and people begin fleeing from the room.
“Everybody to the back, please, everybody come to the back. Come to the back,” the person yells.
A loud bang is heard and then there’s more screaming. The sound begins to cut out as everybody exits the room where the event was being held.
‘The scariest thing I’ve ever been involved in’
Witness Wendy Bodin said she went out in the lobby to answer a phone call when she saw a man on the ground and heard a big boom.
She said she thought he got hit or crashed his car -- another woman told her to call 911. Bodin said she started to call 911 and then she heard a “pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop” sound and she “booked it to the bathroom” where she hid with another person.
Bodin said they heard footsteps running and “a lot of gunshots” and that she and the other person remained in the bathroom until “everything was quiet.” After that, they got out of the building and went into the woods where other people were gathered.
“It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been involved in,” Bodin said. “I was hiding in one of the bathrooms and stood on the toilet and shut the door.”
Bodin said she prayed while she was hiding in the bathroom. “We didn’t know what was going on, but we knew it was bad,” she said.
According to Bodin, the church has a security team that is “very trained.” She said the security team and church leaders know protocol.
“Fortunately they got everyone out of the building safe,” Bodin said. “We did have one man for sure got shot in the leg, but he’s OK, from what I’ve been told. So. Praise God.”
Witness says outdoor service held last weekend

A sign outside the CrossPointe Community Church reads, “JOIN US FOR OUTDOOR SERVICE 10:45 SUNDAY.”
Bodin said the church held outdoor service last Sunday, because it was Father’s day and the Sanctuary had to be cleared out.
“We’re kind of wondering if the gunman knew, thought, we were going to be outside again, I don’t know. But if that would have been the case, it would have been a different story, I think. Thank God we were indoors, and from what I’ve been told he didn’t get in the building,” Bodin said.