According to Houston Police Chief Troy Finner, a woman dressed in a trench coat and carrying a long rifle entered pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church on Sunday afternoon and started shooting. She was accompanied by a young child.
Finner claimed that two off-duty law enforcement officials, a Houston police officer and a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agent, engaged and struck the woman, who died at the site. The chief estimated that the woman was between 30 and 35 years old.
“Unfortunately a 5-year-old kid was hit and is in critical condition at our local hospital,” he said. According to the chief, the event took place shortly before 2 p.m. The chief stated that it was unknown who fired the shot that struck the youngster, as well as the child’s link to the gunman.
A 57-year-old guy was shot in the leg and is being treated at a hospital, according to Finner. Authorities believe he has no connection to the event.
“I’d like to commend those cops. “She had a long gun, and things could have been much worse,” Finner added. “But they stepped up and they did their job, and I want to thank them for that.” An investigation into the shooting will begin, and both law enforcement personnel will be placed on administrative leave while the investigation continues.
The lady also threatened that she “had a bomb,” but officials examined her vehicle and the backpack she was wearing and discovered no explosives, Finner added. “She was also spraying some type of substance on the ground,”
Lakewood Church, located about 6 miles from downtown Houston, acknowledged allegations of “shots fired,” stating on X, “There is an active situation involving shots fired at Lakewood.” Law enforcement is on the scene. That is all the information we have at the moment. “Please pray for Lakewood and our community.”
During the news conference, Osteen, the pastor, stated that the shooting occurred “in between services,” and that the timing of the incident likely helped to avert further injuries and damage.
