Authorities reported that during the afternoon of this Sunday A shooting occurred at Pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston. A child and a man were injured, while the attacker was killed.
Houston police responded to reports of a shooting at 3700 Southwest Freeway, the address of Lakewood Church, around 2:24 p.m. local time, the department noted in a post on X.
HPD is responding to reports of a shooting at 3700 Southwest Freeway. This is an on-going, active scene. Please avoid the area. Additional information will be provided as it is available. #HouNews
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) February 11, 2024
Police Chief Troy Finner said at a news conference that Apparently a woman entered the church, accompanied by a child believed to be about five years old, and began shooting.
The woman had a long rifle and a backpack and was wearing a trench coat when she entered the church from a parking lot, according to Finner’s statements to the press shortly after the incident.
The officer indicated that the attacker also He threatened to have a bomb and sprayed an unknown substance when first responders arrived. It was unclear what the substance was as fire department personnel arrived to investigate and clean up the scene.
Police searched a vehicle and a backpack for possible explosives, but none have been reported.
Two off-duty law enforcement officers who were in the church when shots were fired opened fire and the woman was killed, according to the authorities. They indicated that the attacker was around 30 years old, but her identity is currently unknown.
The two officers who opened fire were identified as Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents and the other is a Houston police officer, according to Finner.
As for the wounded, A child was in critical condition and a man, in his 50s, was being treated for a leg injury.according to Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña.
If law enforcement shooting is responsible for injuring the child, “I’m going to blame her” for putting the child in danger, Finner added.
The shooting occurred as people arrived at Pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church for a Spanish-language service, Osteen said.
Police believe the shooting was an isolated incident and that there is no further danger to the public.
The motive for the shooting is part of the ongoing investigation.
Images and videos from outside the church showed police cars and emergency vehicles lining up.
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the scene is active and asked people to avoid the area.
Correction: shooter is down. But it does not appear that @HCSOTexas deputies fired shots; other agencies fired. We continue to assist in a methodical/thorough search of the complex.
Media partner staging area: Richmond @ Timmons. #HouNews https://t.co/8eJ3EZTBx0
— Ed Gonzalez (@SheriffEd_HCSO) February 11, 2024
“There is an active situation involving shots fired against Lakewood. Law enforcement is on the scene. That is all the information we have at this time. Please pray for Lakewood and our community,” Lakewood Church posted on X shortly after the shooting was reported.
A woman named Maria, who is from Colombia and witnessed the shooting, said she heard the first gunshot about eight minutes before the church service began.
“After the second shot, everyone started running. I ran with my kids…my family,” she told local NBC News affiliate KPRC.
Then he heard eight more gunshots. She and her family lay on the ground until someone told them it was safe to leave the church.
In a statement, the Governor Greg Abbott said, “Our hearts go out to those affected by today’s tragic shooting and to the entire Lakewood Church community in Houston. Places of worship are sacred.”
Abbott assured that he has offered all the support and resources of the State of Texas to the mayor of Houston, John Whitmire, “to help this community and help bring swift justice to the criminal who committed this heinous act.”
Authorities are expected to provide more details about what happened in the coming hours.
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