A former West Point hopeful made ominous Facebook posts weeks before he opened fire on a church with an AR-15.
Brian Anthony Browning, 31, was shot dead by security guards at CrossPointe Church in Wayne, a suburb of Detroit, on Sunday morning.
Exactly four weeks before the shooting, on May 25, Browning posted a screenshot of his Facebook feed making his feelings about the church clear.
The image showed a video of CrossPointe’s April 13 service above one by popular YouTuber PewDiePie titled ‘The Biggest Liar Cheapskate!’
‘Sometimes God will very “subtly” show you the signs,’ he wrote.
Two days later he made an even more ominous post that appeared to blame the church for the death of his friend Tyler Piner.
‘You have not only lied to men, but have lied unto the Spirit of the Lord. His blood is on your hands CrossPointe Community Church,’ he wrote, tagging the church.
The post included a selfie of Piner, who died on May 18 aged 29, in front of CrossPointe that he posted to his own page on August 14, 2022.
Brian Anthony Browning, 31, (left) was an ROTC commander years before he was shot dead by security guards at CrossPointe Church in Wayne, a suburb of Detroit, on Sunday morning
Piner, a father-of-two, lived in Bay City, Michigan, at the time of his death, but lived in Wayne at the time the photo was taken.
His cause of death is not yet known, but he spent time in jail for drug and domestic violence crimes in 2015 and 2018, and suffered from sleep apnea.
Piner’s family offered a $2,000 reward for information ‘leading to arrest of drug dealer serving death’ and asked for camera footage of street from May 18.
‘These ppl they killed my brother and then ran!’ his sister Leticia Sanchez wrote.
The connection between Browning and Piner and why Browning blamed CrossPointe church for his death is unclear.
‘The suspect’s mother is a member of the church, in which he has attended church services two or three times over the course of the last year,’ police said.
The rest of Browning’s posts in recent years consist of a concerning mix of bizarre memes and Bible verses, often numerous posts each day.
Browning was once a promising US Army officer candidate who was on track to study at West Point after graduating high school.
He was the valedictorian of Wayne Memorial High School when he graduated in 2012, and was battalion commander of the school’s ROTC.
Browning posted this photo of his friend Tyler Piner, who died on May 18 aged 29, in front of CrossPointe in 2022 and appeared to blame the church for his death
Exactly four weeks before the shooting, on May 25, Browning posted a screenshot of his Facebook feed making his feelings about the church clear
Browning’s proud father Tony posted a photo of his West Point nomination letter from Senator Debbie Stabenow from December 16, 2011.
A month earlier he uploaded photos of Browning in his dress uniform alongside his older sister BrieAnn Rice, 33, in her active military uniform.
Rice served in the Army National Guard as a truck driver for four years and was deployed to Kuwait and Afghanistan just weeks after the photos were taken.
However, classmates said Browning’s life took a sharp turn after graduation and he never fulfilled the apparent promise his ROTC career held.
‘I was a freshman in JROTC back in 2011 when he was the “commander” of sorts for the program,’ one wrote online.
‘He was fit, confident, honestly seemed like a really well put together guy. Someone to look up to. Then he graduated and life went to hell.
‘When I was finishing high school I remember seeing him a few times and he was a completely different person.
‘Never thought I’d know a potential mass shooter to any capacity let alone someone I held to a very high standard at any time in my life, yet here we are.’
Browning was the valedictorian of Wayne Memorial High School when he graduated in 2012, and was battalion commander of the school’s ROTC
Browning in his dress uniform alongside his older sister BrieAnn Rice, 33, (left) in her Army National Guard uniform, with their mother Jenny
Browning’s proud father Tony posted a photo of his West Point nomination letter from Senator Debbie Stabenow from December 16, 2011
Another classmate added: ‘I was very close with him at one point. He was a decent guy when I knew him, but after college he cut almost everyone out and turned recluse.’
A third classmate said Browning joined the military after school, though they didn’t specify if he enlisted or made it to West Point.
‘The military was a huge part of his identity,’ she wrote.
‘He was very normal in high school and yes, a LOT of girls had a crush on him (myself included if I’m being honest, I was a freshman when I initially met him and he was a senior).
‘He had upward trajectory and was on a path for success. He was a great student, battalion commander of our high schools JROTC program, and joined the army right after high school.
‘Volunteered often, was a mentor for younger students like me and we all viewed him as the strict but fair big brother type.
‘Incredibly smart, kind, and loved by everyone during his high school career.’
Classmates said Browning’s life took a sharp turn after graduation and he never fulfilled the apparent promise his ROTC career held
Browning in high school graduation photos in 2012. He was the class valedictorian
Browning and another cadet climb a poll as part of an ROTC drill
The classmate said she lost touch with Browning when he was about 20, along with most of the people he knew form school.
‘I just always thought of him fondly and assumed he went on to have a great life because that’s what he deserved,’ she said.
Tony Browning posted photos of his son firing a pistol at a father-son trip to the shooting range in 2018, but little else is known of his activities.
Browning’s father died in December 2020.
Browning began the attack by ramming his Ford F-150 truck into the building at 11.06am before he opened fire during service.
The Wayne Police Department said he ‘may have been suffering a mental health crisis’ and had nothing to do with organized terrorism.
‘The church security team was alerted by the gunfire and reacted quickly to engage the suspect outside the main entrance doors of the church,’ it said.
One security guard was shot twice in the leg and is recovering in hospital after surgery. Some bullets went into the church by no one else was hurt.
Browning (left) with family in his final days of high school
Browning was popular and beloved by his high school classmates
Browning at the shooting range with his father Tony in 2018. Tony Browning died in 2020
Browning was armed with a AR-15-style assault rifle with more than a dozen magazines of ammunition, and a semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, police said.
Police found rifles, semi-automatic handguns, and a large amount of ammunition when they searched his home after the shooting.
However, he had no criminal history or prior contact with police, and the motive for his attack, beyond his mental crisis, is unknown.
Horrific footage from a church service’s livestream showed the moment that frantic families started running for their lives when an active shooter opened fire.
The bloodcurdling video showed churchgoers suddenly realize the unfolding terror and run towards the door.
Young children were on the stage and in the pews with their parents, before one member directed the congregation to ‘get down’ and run to the back of the building.
Chilling screams, ‘come on, come on’, were heard as kids and adults fled for their lives, followed by a loud bang and shouting off-screen.
Brian Browning, 31, was shot dead by security guards after he opened fire on CrossPointe Church in Wayne, Michigan, on Sunday morning. His driver’s license photo is pictured
The bloodcurdling video showed churchgoers suddenly realizing the unfolding terror and running towards the door at CrossPointe Church
A livestream video of the chilling moment revealed how the congregation escaped the shocking scene
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, said the agency was on the ground providing ‘assistance and investigative support’ in Wayne.
The church’s senior pastors, Bobby Kelly Jr, told The Detroit News that a member ran the shooter over, giving the security guard a chance to shoot them.
‘He (the suspect) was run over by one of our members who saw this happening when he was coming into church,’ the pastor said.
‘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,’ Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong said
Kelly added that there were about 150 people in attendance for the vacation Bible school service. Many of the attendees were children.
The pastor said that when the congregation initially heard noises outside, they thought it was from construction.
CrossPointe Church in Wayne, a western suburb of Detroit
Senior Pastor Bobby Kelly Jr. told local news that there were around 150 people in church when the shooting broke out
The suspected shooter was driving a Ford F-150 when he crashed into the church building and opened fire
He said that the church hired security more than a decade ago in response to increased violence against places of worship.
Kelly said they felt like ‘sitting ducks’ without protection. The congregation’s leadership is planning a meeting to put together a plan for dealing with the shooting’s aftermath.
When asked about the children who witnessed the shooting, he said they were ‘doing good’ and that the congregation was coming together to support one another.
The church’s official schedule had events listed from 9am to 6pm. CrossPointe also hosts adult and teen Sunday School and kids Sunday school at the church from 9.30 to 10.30am.
Wendy Bodin, a witness at the church, told ClickOnDetroit that she was in the lobby answering a phone call when she saw the attacker.
‘It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been involved in,’ Bodin recalled.
She said she initially thought the shooter just crashed his car, but then fled to the bathroom when she heard gunshots.
Multiple agencies, including the FBI, have arrived in Wayne to assist local law enforcement with the investigation
The chaotic scene unfolded during a service at CrossPointe Church. Community members are pictured gathering outside after the shocking sequence of events
Churchgoers outside in the parking lot after the shooting
Bodin hid out in the bathroom with another churchgoer and eventually fled the building to meet the rest of the congregation in the woods.
‘I was hiding in one of the bathrooms and stood on the toilet and shut the door. We didn’t know what was going on, but we knew it was bad,’ she said.
She said she was grateful for security and the church leaders following protocol.
‘Fortunately they got everyone out of the building safe. 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,’ she said.
Bodin said the church held services outside last weekend for Father’s Day and was grateful the attack didn’t happen then.
