Patrons flying in to dine at a waterside restaurant along Lake St. Clair in Michigan’s Thumb ended up with a rough landing recently when their helicopter suddenly flipped.

The incident happened at about 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 22, at the Cabana Blue Lakefront Sports Bar & Grill in Clay Township near Algonac.

A video taken by restaurant owner Joseth Henninger shows the helicopter haphazardly touching down on a vacant lot next to outside Cabana Blue Lakefront Sports Bar & Grill. 

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“They had called in ahead of time, and our hostess had said we got a lot of debris in the field out there,” Henninger said. “(The pilot) said, ‘That’s alright, if it’s not good he won’t land.’ And he came in and looked like he found a spot he liked.” 

When the helicopter crashed into the dirt, he said, the sound reverberated like a gunshot.  

Among dust and debris, people can be heard shouting, “Get down!” and onlookers gasp in shock.  

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According to Clay Township police, there were four passengers aboard and only minor injuries. 

The crash is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.

(This story was updated to change a video.)

• The incident was making national headlines, as police sought to investigate a motive.
• Police said the incident may have been a result of a “mental health crisis.”
• The suspect did not have a criminal history. His mother is a member of the church.

The heavily armed man who tried to burst into a Sunday morning service at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne but was thwarted by church security who shot him dead was identified by police as 31-year-old Brian Browning, of Romulus.

What’s more, one worshiper, who asked for prayers and thanked God no one else was killed, told the Free Press the church had trained for such a situation, and credited it with protecting “all those attending,” which included children.

By late morning on Monday, June 23, police said, it was still unclear why Browning, who was single, had targeted the church at 36125 Glenwood Road, but detectives were suggesting that it may have been a result of a “mental health crisis.”

“In today’s society, any training that can preserve life is beneficial,” Wayne Deputy Chief Finley Carter said, adding that in in today’s charged climate people should “remain vigilant and remain aware and prepared for an event.”

Browning, police said, had no previous contact with the Wayne Police Department or criminal history, and his mother, with whom he lived, is a member of the church. In the past year, he had attended two or three services there, police said.

The church, on its website, describes itself as a place where people aim “to serve and love you in whatever situation or stage of life you find yourself in,” and encourages “everyone to explore faith in God” and “connect with Jesus Christ.”

Browning, police said, was carrying several weapons, including an assault-style rifle, more than a dozen fully loaded magazines, a semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

They were all legally acquired, police noted.

Church security reacted

At a news conference on Sunday, June 22, Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong said authorities were “grateful for the heroic actions of the church’s staff members,” who he added “undoubtedly saved many lives and prevented a large-scale mass shooting.”

The security team members, police clarified, were not commercial guard service employees.

In a statement to the Free Press, police pointed out that after U.S. airstrikes this weekend on Iran, there was “no evidence to believe that this act of violence has any connection” to the Middle East conflict.

According to the police account of the shooting, a man who a witness said was erratically driving a silver SUV in the parking lot parked the vehicle on the west side of the church building. He wore camouflage clothing and a tactical vest.

He got his guns out of his vehicle.

Then, he headed toward the church entrance.

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Based on multiple 911 calls just after 11 a.m., he also started shooting.

To stop him, police said, a churchgoer driving a pickup truck hit him, and a church security team, which heard the gunfire, reacted, meeting him outside the church’s main entrance. They also locked the doors so he couldn’t get in, and then they exchanged gunfire.

At least two other people were armed.

Browning, police said, was shot by church security.

When officers arrived, police said, they tried to save Browning’s life, but could not.

‘We all got out safely’

A search of Browning’s home uncovered rifles, semi-automatic handguns and ammunition.

Police did not, however, offer any theories for why he was so heavily armed.

Law enforcement in recent years has been warning of targeted violence against houses of worship in the United States, in part, because of their symbolic value, perceived lack of security and accessible locations.

Officials have urged faith-based institutions to set up a “robust security plan.”

Hostility and violence against churches in America is at a high, according to a report by the Family Research Council, which found more than 430 incidents nationwide in 2023 — more than double the number in 2022 and an 800% increase in incidents since 2018.

Don Schlamb, who emailed the Free Press not long after the shooting, briefly described what unfolded in the church, and said: “There’s a lot of hurting people out there right now. We must pray for everyone.”

He was, he wrote, in the front row for Sunday’s service, and helped move the children to safety.

“Praise the Lord, we all got out safely,” he added. “I was one of the first people who helped set up the security team at our church. We trained for situations like this. The program we put in place worked perfectly to protect all those attending the church.”

There were, police estimate, more than 100 people there.

According to some accounts, the service included a Vacation Bible School presentation.

A video recording of the worship service, which was streaming online, has been removed.

In addition to the shooter, there was, however, one other injury.

One church security member, whose name was not released by police, was hit in the leg by gunfire and taken to a local hospital, where, police said, after a successful surgery, he was in stable condition.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.

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