Houston, Texas – A shooting incident took place at the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas on Sunday afternoon, leaving a 5-year-old boy critically wounded and a 57-year-old man injured. The armed woman, who entered the church with the young boy, was shot and killed by off-duty police officers working security at the church.
Police Chief Troy Finner stated that the suspect, believed to be between 30 and 35 years old, entered the church just before 2 p.m. local time. The off-duty officers at the church intervened and engaged with the armed woman, resulting in her being gunned down at the scene. The 5-year-old boy is currently in critical condition in the hospital, while the 57-year-old man is in stable condition.
Amid the chaos, the suspect claimed to have a bomb, though no explosives were found by the authorities. Finner also mentioned that it is unclear whether the child was shot by the responding officers, but emphasized that the blame would be on the suspect if that were the case. The incident took place just before the scheduled 2 p.m. Spanish language service at the church.
Celebrity pastor Joel Osteen expressed his gratitude that the incident did not occur during the 11:00 service, stating that the situation could have been much worse. The Lakewood Church is one of the largest megachurches in the United States, and the shooting has caused shock and concern among the congregation and the local community.