A shooting occurred at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church last Sunday, injuring 2. The suspect was killed when police showed up. Texas authorities said: “At 1:53 PM when the Spanish speaking session was about to begin, someone shot at the church”
The suspect, who was a woman, carried a long rifle, she was wearing a backpack and a trench coat. She had a child who was about 4-5 years old. I don’t know why she brought a child, but she did, and that’s crazy. After she started shooting, off duty officers engaged and returned fire. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
2 people were injured, including a 57 year old man who was shot in the leg, and the child the suspect brought with, who is in critical condition. Why would you bring a child and then make the small child in critical condition? That’s very messed up and dumb.
The suspect mentioned that she had a bomb, but when a bomb squad was sent to search the premises, her car, and her backpack. There wasn’t any bombs on the scene. I’m guessing that she had a plan to blow up the church, but she was stopped.
She was spraying some substance on the ground of the church and around the church. Police said that there wasn’t any threat to the public around Lakewood Church.
During a conference, Senior Pastor, Joel Osteen, thanked law enforcement, and was devastated by the shooting that occurred. Joel Osteen says “We don’t understand why all these things happened, but we know God’s in control.” and he said “We’re going to continue to move forward. There are forces of evil, but the forces that are for us, the forces of God are stronger than that,” he continued. “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 again.”
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez announced the death of the shooter. “Correction: shooter is down,” Gonzalez wrote on social media. “But it does not appear that@HCSOTexas deputies fired shots; other agencies fired.”
“It’s traumatic. Not only for our community, but it’s certainly traumatic for the officers who had to take a life and we worry about their mental health as well, so our prayers are with them,” Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said in Sunday’s news conference. “It is very important and tragic that a church was shot down by a crazy woman.”
Police advised that if there are people with missing family to go to the family reunification center at Greenway Plaza’s Life Time Fitness gym.
Lakewood responded on X saying to pray for Lakewood and the community.
Someone says “Soon after, she told the news station, she heard repeated bangs, almost like mechanical sounds.”
“Our hearts are with those impacted by today’s tragic shooting and the entire Lakewood Church community in Houston,” Abbott said. “Places of worship are sacred.”
Newly elected Mayor of Houston who ran on a law and order platform praised the Houston area agencies for collaborative response to the active shooter.
Washington post said: “Lifeway Research, owned by the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, did a survey of Protestant pastors last year. It found that by far the most popular security plans pastors have are an ‘intentional plan for an active shooter’ and armed congregants. Fifty-four percent of the pastors polled said they have a plan involving armed churchgoers. Three years earlier, that number was 45 percent, Lifeway said.”
Houston Police Chief, Troy Finner, said “patrols will be increased at places of worship across the City of Houston.”
