The children who were present at Sunday’s service are “doing good,” Kelly said, and church members are uniting in support. “We will be convening our leadership to put a formal plan in place for the aftermath,” he added.
Ryan Strong, chief of the Wayne Police Department, said, “We are grateful for the quick actions of the church’s staff members, who undoubtedly saved many lives and prevented a large-scale mass shooting.” Emergency-response training for the church members and staff members also saved lives, he said.
Michigan State Sen. Darrin Camilleri, who represents Wayne, said, “This could have been anybody.” He credited CrossPointe’s security team for stepping up to prevent more casualties. “This could have been any church, any mosque, any temple,” he said. “I am grateful they were prepared for the worst and were able to stop the worst from happening.”
Dustin Fuoco, who was running the sound system for Sunday’s service, said as soon as he heard gunfire, he ran to the church nursery. “My heart sank when the room was empty and for about 15 minutes as our congregation scattered outside towards the woods, I feared the worse,” he wrote on Facebook.
“Praise to our PHENOMENAL security team for keeping us safe!” Fuoco continued. “I think I heard 20 shots and for there to only be one injury and no lost lives from our church is truly God’s protection. Please pray for our church community as we all try and recover from this experience.”
The attack occurred as state and local governments are on heightened alert following America’s attack on Iran. Authorities said there’s no apparent connection between that and the CrossPointe incident. But, fearing retaliation by Iran, they’re urging the public to report any suspicious activity.
