Police say a man opened fire outside a church before staff fatally shot him, averting mass shooting

WAYNE, Mich. (AP) — A man who opened fire outside a Michigan church filled with worshippers on Sunday was struck by a vehicle and then fatally shot by security staff who averted a potential mass shooting, police said.

Churchgoers attending a morning service at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne spotted the gunman driving recklessly and then saw him exit his car wearing a tactical vest and carrying a rifle and a handgun, police Chief Ryan Strong said at an evening news conference.

The man began firing as he approached the church, striking one person in the leg.

“A parishioner struck the gunman with his vehicle as the gunman shot the vehicle repeatedly,” Strong told reporters. “At least two staff members shot the gunman, causing the fatal wounds.”

Police described the suspect as a 31-year-old white male with no known connection to the church. His motive remains unclear, but it appears he was suffering from a mental health crisis, Strong said.

The shooting occurred around 11 a.m. in Wayne, a city of about 17,000 people located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Detroit. The person who was shot in the leg was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the chief said. Nobody else was hurt.

Strong said a church member ran the suspect over with his pickup truck, giving security staff time to shoot him.

“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,” the chief said.

About 150 people were inside the church at the time. The church's website says it hosts a worship service on Sundays at 10:45 a.m.

Worshipper Wendy Bodin said she heard a loud “boom” and when she looked outside, she saw a man sprawled out on the grass in front of the church. “I thought he got hit or crashed his car or was hurt,” Bodin told WXYZ-TV. “And another lady saw and pointed to me and said, ‘Oh my, call 911!’”

Wayne Police Deputy Chief Finley Carter III said hours later that it was too early to know a motive. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino tweeted that bureau “leadership and support teams” were at the scene and helping with the investigation.

Messages left by The Associated Press on Sunday on voicemail and a Facebook page for the church were not immediately returned.

Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press journalists Todd Richmond in Madison, Wisconsin, and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

This story has been updated to correct the capitalization of CrossePointe.

Police walk by an idle vehicle near CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Mich., Sunday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Police walk by an idle vehicle near CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Mich., Sunday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Wayne Police Department Chief Ryan Strong speaks during a news conference about a shooting at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Mich., Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Police walk by an idle vehicle near CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Mich., Sunday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Police walk by an idle vehicle near CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Mich., Sunday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Police walk by an idle vehicle near CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Mich., Sunday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

An idle vehicle sits near CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Mich., Sunday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Emergency vehicles gather near CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Mich., Sunday, June 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)