Two people are in the hospital after a shooting at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in southwest Houston on Sunday, according to police.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to an active shooting at the megachurch near the Southwest Freeway shortly after 2 p.m.
In a press conference, Houston police said a woman in her early 30s entered the church on the west side armed with a long rifle wearing a trenchcoat and a backpack. She was reportedly accompanied by a small child between four to five years old and opened fire immediately after entering the building.
Police said two off-duty officers engaged and fired at the female, killing her at the scene. According to authorities, the child was hit and is in critical condition at the hospital.
A 57-year-old man, who police said had nothing to do with the incident, was shot in the leg and taken to the hospital for treatment.
As the woman went down, officers reported that she threatened to have a bomb. Officers with the bomb squad searched her car and backpack and found no explosives.