On March 1, 2026, officers with the Ellensburg Police Department responded to an urgent 911 call regarding an active, weapons-related threat at the Prophet Elijah Orthodox Church in Ellensburg, Washington. A retired police officer attending the service reported that two individuals were acting suspiciously, making rapid religious gestures, and openly shouting homicidal statements about shooting the 40 to 60 parishioners inside. Instead of an active shooter scenario inside the building, alert churchgoers—including the retired law enforcement professional and an off-duty officer—had already boldly intervened to confront the couple. Upon arrival, responding officers immediately took custody of a Glock 9mm handgun and an ammunition bag found directly on the male suspect. A subsequent sweep of the couple's Toyota Sequoia SUV in the church parking lot uncovered a heavily modified AR-15 assault rifle equipped with a "Swift Link" auto-conversion device, rendering it a fully automatic machine gun alongside nearly 90 rounds of ammunition. Authorities continued their response as the driver, identified as Alexander Ziyad Mueller of Moses Lake, was booked into the Kittitas County Jail on a $1 million bail on severe charges including first-degree attempted murder under accomplice liability and unlawful possession of a machine gun. Watch the body cam footage as Ellensburg Police Department officers secure a volatile church threat, recover illegal fully automatic firearms, and apprehend a couple narrowly stopped before carrying out a mass shooting. This video is presented for news, documentary, and educational purposes. FirstResponderFiles receives content through open records requests, and the footage is intended for educational purposes. Our objective is to show law enforcement interactions, emphasizing education over public embarrassment or ridicule. Join us as we strive to provide valuable insights and promote understanding in the realm of law enforcement. Watch the local news coverage documenting how law enforcement and brave churchgoers narrowly avoided a mass casualty event: