A woman armed with a long gun took her young child to Joel Osteen’s Houston-area megachurch on Sunday and opened fire — leaving police dead and the child with gunshot wounds.
A child is believed to have been shot before police became involved in a “possible shooter” at Osteen’s Lakewood Church shortly after 2:10 p.m. Central Time, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a post on X.
“Information remains preliminary, as the situation remains dynamic,” Gonzalez wrote. “It is believed that it was a possible sniper.”
A bullet hit a child between the ages of 5 and 9, according to another X post by Constable Alan Rosen of Harris County’s 1st Precinct.
The child’s condition was unclear Sunday afternoon.
Deputy Gonzalez responded to the cathedral on Southwest Highway about 50 minutes before the Spanish-language service was to begin, according to ABC 13.
The Church affirms this, he said in his own social media post that there was an “active situation involving shots being fired” at the facility.
Harris County Sheriff’s deputies reportedly shot a “possible shooter” who may have had a bomb strapped to his chest outside Joel Olsteen’s Houston-area church. Google Maps
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez was headed to the scene, but said Houston police would update the public. X/@SheriffEd_HCSO
“That’s all the information we have at this time,” the church wrote. “Please pray for Lakewood and our community.”
A witness told the station that he heard gunshots coming from the choir room, which caused the crowd to panic.
“The whole church began to pray and proclaim the name of Jesus,” he said. “I was like, ‘This might be the last time I pray, so I can glorify the name of Jesus, so I’m going to do this.’”
Sources told the outlet that the police had incapacitated the female suspect. But authorities were concerned he had a bomb strapped to his chest, so they proceeded cautiously.
Houston police have asked people to stay away from the area, which is about six miles from downtown Houston.
The church — whose Sunday services are attended by thousands — is one of the largest congregations in the country, the New York Times said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
