Horrific scenes unfolded at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church yesterday when a woman, toting a rifle and escorted by a young child, fired shots inside the Texas megachurch, as reported by Fox San Antonio. Two off-duty law enforcement officers were quick to respond, engaging the shooter before a tragic outcome could unfold, amidst the church's preparation for its next service, an event that draws in large crowds.
The gunwoman, whose connection to the 5-year-old child remains unclear, was fatally shot by the agents, a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission officer and a Houston Police Department officer, according to details provided by MSN, the child, tragically caught in the crossfire, is now listed in critical condition while a 56-year-old man also became an unintended casualty of the violence, a victim of a leg wound. The two injured were rushed to local hospitals, where the adult is stable and the child fights for their life, the news briefing revealed by Joel Osteen himself and Houston Mayor John Whitmire echoed a city's shared devastation.
Further adding to the chaos, the assailant threatened the presence of a bomb. After a thorough search by the Houston Police Department's bomb squad and the Houston Fire Department Decontamination unit, no explosive devices were found on her or in the vehicle she arrived in, "We're devastated," Osteen said at the briefing, and he noted that thankfully, due to the timing of the shooter's arrival, "She didn’t get in there and do a whole lot worse." In a move that no doubt saved lives, the swift action of the officers on site prevented what could have been a far more tragic event.
As the investigation persists, little is known of the woman, aged between 30 to 35, who left a trail of unanswered questions and a substance sprayed on the ground before she commenced her assault, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner shared, a detail still under review by the Houston Fire's hazardous materials unit. The identity of the shooter, the motive behind the senseless act, and the names of those injured continue to be withheld as authorities piece together the narrative of a Sunday service interrupted by gunfire and the dread of a violence not commonplace among pews and prayers.
