Woman killed after she opened fire in Joel Olsteen's megachurch, boy with her shot, hospitalized

Worshippers rushed out of the building between crowded Sunday services when a lady in a trench coat opened fire inside famous pastor Joel Osteen’s megachurch in Texas with a long gun, according to officials. She was then shot and killed by two off-duty police who challenged her.

Shortly before 2:00 p.m., the mother and her 5-year-old son entered the Houston church; the youngster was shot and suffered grave injuries. According to Houston Police Chief Troy Finner, it’s unclear if the off-duty police who returned fire struck the youngster or the 57-year-old male who was also shot and injured.

In the aftermath of the violence, the child’s link to the mom was not immediately apparent. The youngster was in serious condition at a children’s hospital, while the dad was stable at another facility after suffering a hip wound. Finner stated that once the lady started firing, both cops “engaged” her, and she was dead. She was not immediately recognised, and her motivations were unclear.

“I will say this,” Finner told reporters during a news conference outside the church. “That female, that suspect, put that baby in danger. I’m going to put that blame on her.”

The chief withheld information on the specifics of the altercation. He said that the incident “could have been a lot worse” if the officers—who had been providing security for the church at the time—had not moved promptly in addressing the woman.

The policemen are employed by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and the Houston Police Department, respectively. Both have been assigned to administrative duties prescribed by protocol.

The megachurch, which is routinely visited by 45,000 people each week and is the third-largest megachurch in the United States, according to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, was the scene of the shooting between services. Almost 100 nations watch Osteen’s broadcast sermons.

It was not clear where Osteen was at the time. But he joined police at the news conference afterward and said the church is “devastated.” He added that the shooting could have been much worse if it had happened during the earlier, larger 11 a.m. service.

Witnesses told reporters that they heard multiple gunshots shortly before the church’s 2 p.m. Spanish language service was set to begin.

Christina Rodriguez, who was inside the church, told Houston television station KTRK that she “started screaming, ‘There’s a shooter, there’s a shooter,’ ” and then she and others ran to the backside of a library inside the building, then stood in a stairway before they were told it was safe to leave.

Longtime church member Alan Guity, whose family is from Honduras, said he was resting inside the church’s sanctuary before the 2 p.m. service as his mother was working as an usher when he heard gunshots.

“Boom, boom, boom, boom and I yelled, ‘Mom,’ ” he told The Associated Press.

The 35-year-old ran to his mother and they both laid flat on the floor and prayed as the gunfire continued. They remained there for about five minutes until someone told them it was safe to evacuate. Outside, Guity said, he and his mother tried to calm people down by worshiping and singing in Spanish, “Move in me, move in me. Touch my mind and my heart. Move within me Holy Spirit.”

Guity was among the many congregation members who waited Sunday evening to be allowed to return to their vehicles as police continued to search the building. The church is located in what used to be an arena where the NBA’s Houston Rockets used to play years ago.

Osteen said Sunday he would pray for the victims and for the woman who did the shooting and their families.

“We’re going to stay strong and we’re going to continue to, to move forward,” he said. “There are forces of evil, but the forces that are for us — the forces of God — are stronger than that. So we’re going to keep going strong and just, you know, doing what God’s called us to do: lift people up and give hope to the world.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statement saying “our hearts are with those impacted by today’s tragic shooting and the entire Lakewood Church community in Houston. Places of worship are sacred.”

At least 20 police and fire trucks were near one of the church’s entrances Sunday afternoon, including the fire department’s hazardous materials truck. Finner said it was reported that the woman had a bomb, but no explosives were found when her vehicle and backpack were searched.

Worshippers could be seen leaving the building as authorities evacuated the church before the news conference. Officials announced a reunification center had been set up at a nearby gym for people to find their loved ones.

The church has grown tremendously over the past 25 years since Joel Osteen took over after his father’s death in 1999 and introduced an upbeat style of Christian televangelism that has captured a following of millions. The elder Osteen founded the church in a converted feed store in 1959.

At times, Lakewood Church has served as a shelter during flooding in Houston. After the pandemic, it reopened for a time at one-quarter of its capacity with only 4,000 worshippers allowed.