Breaking! Active Shooter Opens Fire At Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church+ 2 Injured, 1 Killed

A woman entered Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church this afternoon with a gun and opened fire, injuring one person before being killed by off-duty police officers.

Police chief Troy Finner said in a press conference that the shooting began shortly before 2:00 pm, prior to the start of the Spanish service. The woman attended the church dressed in a trenchcoat, backpack, long rifle, and a five-year-old child in tow.

She managed to shoot one 57-year-old man in the hip before a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) agent and a Houston Police Department off-duty officer returned fire, killing her.

@abcnews
Video captures the moment when gunfire rang out inside Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston. Authorities say a woman armed with a long rifle entered the church — accompanied by a small child — and opened fire. She was killed by officers on the scene. The child was hospitalized in critical condition. At least one person, an apparent bystander, was transported to a local hospital with injuries. #news #breakingnews #lakewoodchurch #houston #abcnews
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The child accompanying her was also shot and remains in critical condition, though it is unknown if they were hit by gunfire from officers or the woman.

Lakewood church has its own security department, and congregants are allowed concealed weapons inside the church, but they may not open carry. Thankfully, the present officers stopped the threat before more lives were lost.

Joel Osteen said he was “devastated” by the shooting but would press forward.

We don’t understand why all these things happened, but we know God’s in control. We’re going to continue to to move forward. There are forces of evil, but the forces that are for us, the forces of God, are stronger than that. 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.”

@abcnews
Pastor Joel Osteen addressed the media after a shooting Sunday at Lakewood Church in Houston: “We don’t understand why these things happen, but we know God’s in control.” Authorities say a woman armed with a long rifle entered the church — accompanied by a small child — and opened fire. She was killed by officers on the scene. The child was hospitalized in critical condition. At least one person, an apparent bystander, was transported to a local hospital with injuries. #news #breakingnews #lakewoodchurch #houston #abcnews
♬ original sound – ABC News – ABC News