Texas church shooting injures 5-year-old boy, man; accused woman killed

A female shooter was shot dead by two off-duty law enforcement officers after she opened fire at a megachurch in the city of Houston in Texas, which left a five-year-old boy critically injured, and another man wounded but in stable condition.

According to Troy Finner, the city’s police chief, the incident occurred on Sunday at the Lakewood Church run by prominent evangelical Christian pastor Joel Osteen.

He confirmed the child is in critical condition while the 57-year-old man shot in the hip is stable.

In a post on X, Lakewood Church said there was an active shooter situation that included shots being fired and law enforcement arriving on the scene.

The woman, in her early 30s and wearing a long trench coat, holding a long rifle and a backpack, entered the church, accompanied by a boy, and started shooting, Finner said.

Two off-duty law enforcement officers who were at the church when the shots were fired at 1.50 pm opened fire and killed the woman, he added.

The woman’s identity has not yet been revealed.

If law enforcement gunfire is responsible for striking the child, Finner said “I’m going to put that blame on her” for putting the boy in danger.

At the press conference, Osteen said he would pray for both the victims and the shooter, saying he was grateful the shooting happened between services when fewer people were in the building.

The police believe the shooting was an isolated incident and there is no further danger to the public.

The woman threatened that she had a bomb and sprayed an unknown substance as first responders arrived, the police chief said.

It is still not clear what the substance was, as fire department personnel arrived to investigate and clear the scene, he added.

The police checked a vehicle and backpack for possible explosives but none have been reported.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire lamented that the violence took place while people were preparing to practise their faith and others looked forward to the Super Bowl encounter between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.

“We find ourselves gathered here to respond to this tragedy,” he said.

In a statement, Governor Greg Abbott said, “Our hearts are with those impacted by today’s tragic shooting and the entire Lakewood Church community in Houston. Places of worship are sacred.”

Abbott said he offered “full support and resources of the State of Texas” to Whitmire “to help this community and help bring swift justice to the criminal who committed this crime”.