A potential mass shooting at a Michigan church was stopped by quick-thinking members of a volunteer safety team, whose actions prevented what could have been a devastating tragedy. Jay Trombley, a member of Cross Point Community Church in Wayne, Michigan, joined Chicago’s Morning Answer with Amy Jacobson and Jim Iuorio to share the details of the harrowing encounter and the extraordinary response by his church’s safety team.
The incident unfolded Sunday morning when a heavily armed man—later identified as 31-year-old Brian Browning—arrived at the church wearing tactical gear and carrying multiple firearms. One of the church’s deacons, Richard, noticed the suspect in the parking lot and attempted to speak with him. Although Browning did not immediately open fire, he soon made his way to the church entrance and began shooting at the building.
In a decisive act, the deacon struck the suspect with his vehicle before Browning could force his way into the church. The impact did not stop him entirely, and he began firing more rounds. Members of the church’s safety team, including Trombley, responded quickly. One exchanged fire with the gunman outside the church. Trombley and another team member encountered the shooter as he opened fire again through the building’s lobby windows. One safety team member was wounded in the leg during the exchange, but no parishioners were harmed.
Trombley emphasized that while his name has been highlighted in coverage, it was the coordinated actions of multiple people on the safety team—and what he believes was divine intervention—that prevented a massacre.
“This was not just me,” Trombley said. “God had his hand on every person that morning—where they were, how they responded. Our whole team had a role in protecting our church family.”
The church has maintained a formal safety team for over a decade, developed to respond not only to violence but also to fires, severe weather, and other emergencies. The team routinely trains in various scenarios, including first aid and active shooter situations. Trombley said the group had always hoped the training would never be needed—but Sunday proved its worth.
Browning, who died at the scene, was reportedly the son of a church member and had visited the congregation sporadically in the past. His vehicle contained a large cache of ammunition, raising fears that he had planned a much larger attack. Authorities evacuated the area and called in a bomb-sniffing dog, which alerted on the vehicle, prompting an extended lockdown of the site and surrounding area.
Despite the chaos, no churchgoers were killed—an outcome that Trombley said makes this incident unique in the grim history of church shootings in America.
“Someone told me this is the first time they could find where a shooter came into a church and no one in the congregation was killed,” Trombley said. “That doesn’t feel small to me.”
Trombley acknowledged the emotional weight of having taken a life but said he knows that Browning came with the intent to kill many others. Processing that reality, he said, will take time.
In the aftermath, local residents stepped in to support the congregation. Neighbors brought water, food, and shelter to parishioners who had been evacuated into a nearby field, and buses eventually transported them to air-conditioned safety. Trombley praised the community’s support and emphasized the importance of being prepared.
Church violence has been on the rise in the United States, prompting many congregations to implement formal security or safety teams. Trombley urged other faith communities to be proactive in their planning and not assume it can’t happen to them.
Jay Trombley, along with the entire Cross Point Community Church safety team, is being hailed as a hero for stopping what could have been a mass casualty event. Their preparedness, composure under fire, and commitment to protecting their fellow congregants made all the difference.