The armed female suspect was killed after engaging with off-duty police officers.
A woman was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer after opening fire with a long gun inside celebrity pastor Joel Osteen's megachurch in Texas on Sunday afternoon, authorities said.
The armed woman, aged between 30 and 35, entered Houston's Lakewood Church just before 2pm local time with a 5-year-old boy who was critically injured in a shootout with police. A 57-year-old man, who is not believed to have been involved in the incident, was also shot and is in stable condition, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said.
The suspect was shot and killed by two off-duty police officers who were on guard duty at the church. She was pronounced dead at the scene, Finner said.
The injured child remains in critical condition at a local hospital, Finner said. When asked if the responding officer shot the child, the police chief told reporters he did not know, adding, “Unfortunately, that woman, that suspect, put her baby in danger.'' If so, I will hold him accountable.” She to her. ”
Finer said the suspect claimed to have a bomb, but police found no explosives.
“She had a long gun, so it could have been much worse,” Finner said at a news conference Sunday.
The shooting occurred just before the church's 2 p.m. Spanish-language service was to begin. Osteen's Lakewood Church is one of the largest megachurches in the United States.
“I can only imagine what would have happened if this had happened during the 11 o'clock service,” Osteen said at a news conference Sunday. “She could have done much worse damage.”
