By Gustavo Rangel
HOUSTON – A woman who entered the Lakewood Church premises with a long rifle this Sunday was killed by two off-duty officers in an exchange of fire, according to authorities.
The woman had a child with her, four or five years old. The child was shot during the shootout between the woman and eight off-duty officers, who work as security at the church. The child was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
A man in his fifties, who authorities described as an innocent person who was in the area, was shot in the leg.
BREAKING UPDATE: A child, between the ages of 5 and 9, was reportedly shot in between services on Sunday afternoon.
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Houston Police reported that the woman, between 30 and 35 years old, entered Lakewood Church with the child on the west side of the parking lot at around 1:53 pm. She was carrying a backpack and was armed with a rifle.
Shortly after entering the facility he began shooting.
The motive for the shooting remains under investigation. It has not been revealed if there were any other injuries.
The motive for the shooting is unknown. It’s also unknown if anyone else was injured.
Lakewood Church is located in the 3700 block of Highway 59 South at Eldoe Street.
The area remained closed until 5:30 pm for investigations.