What could have been a horrifying mass shooting in a Michigan church was averted by quick thinking, courage, and what many are calling divine intervention by a deacon at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne. In recognition of his bravery, Richard Pryor was recently presented with a brand-new 2025 Ford F-150 by Jack Demmer Ford, a local dealership in Wayne.
The vehicle, on a two-year lease and valued at approximately $70,000, was given to replace his bullet-riddled 2018 model.
“It’s been more than expected,” Pryor said as he received the keys. “Very grateful. Very thankful.”
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Matthew Demmer, owner and general manager of the dealership, called the gift “the best way to give back.” “It could have been a heckuva lot worse,” he added, according to the Associated Press.
On the day of the June 22 incident, Pryor had arrived late for the Sunday morning service when he observed a man driving dangerously in the church parking lot. The man, later identified as 31-year-old Brian Browning of Romulus, came out of his truck while wearing a tactical vest and brandishing a rifle and handgun.
Pryor, who had been on the phone with a 911 operator, made a snap decision and drove his pickup truck, a 2018 Ford F-150, to ram the armed man outside the church, just as the assailant was about to enter the service attended by over 100 people, including children.
Browning began firing his weapons, hitting Pryor’s truck multiple times and wounding one person in the leg before being fatally shot by at least two members of the church’s armed security team.
Authorities said Pryor’s actions, along with the swift response from the church’s security team, prevented a far greater tragedy.
“The attacker’s intended tragedy did not occur,” Pryor told AP. “And a lot of people did not see what had happened and weren’t aware of what was going on. Trauma is trauma, but thankfully ours is not trauma over loss of life.”
The incident unfolded while children from the church’s vacation Bible school were leading worship. They had just finished a song when the first shots were heard. Pastor Bobby Kelly, who was about to begin his sermon, initially mistook the sound for construction noise.
A member of the security team burst in and shouted for everyone to evacuate. A livestream video captured the chaos as people rushed to protect the children and flee the building.
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Pastor Kelly said he had met Browning on three prior occasions and had conversations with him about faith and spirituality. “This young man was definitely struggling mentally,” Kelly told the Associated Press. “He thought he was hearing from God. We had some conversations about that.”
Browning had no prior police record. During a subsequent search of his home in Romulus, police discovered additional rifles, handguns, and a large quantity of ammunition.
“Most people would never even know if they came to our church,” Pastor Kelly said, referring to the security team, which has been in place for over a decade. “Some that are armed and some that are not. But they are trained.”
Pastor Kelly described Pryor’s actions as divinely inspired. “He is a hero,” he said. “I think that was the Lord leading him to do that. He hit this individual with his car, drove right on the grass because he was shooting at the building at the time. And that certainly helped the team to be able to respond.”
Pastor Kelly said he spoke with Browning’s mother following the incident. Though she occasionally attended the church, she was not present during the attack.
“To console her, to let her know that she shouldn’t feel guilty about his actions … and that we still are there for her as well,” Pastor Kelly said. “She is a grieving mom right now because of this tragedy.”
Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong also praised the “heroic actions of the church’s staff members,” emphasizing that they saved many lives, given that Browning had been heavily armed.
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