HOUSTON — A woman who walked inside Lakewood Church on Sunday with a long rifle and began shooting was shot and killed by two off-duty officers, according to Houston Police Department Chief Troy Finner.
The woman had a child with her, who Finner said was either 4 or 5 years old. The child was shot in the exchange of gunfire between the woman and the off-duty officers, Finner said. The child was taken to a hospital in critical condition. The relationship between the child and the woman is unknown.
A man in his 50s, who Finner described as an innocent bystander, was shot in his leg.
On Sunday night, hours after the shooting, federal agents and other law enforcement officials were spotted in a Conroe neighborhood. A home in the neighborhood has at least one tie to the shooting at the church. Authorities wouldn't comment on the nature of their investigation in the neighborhood or what led them there.
What happened
Finner said the woman, who appeared to be between 30 to 35 years old, entered Lakewood Church with the child from the west side of the parking lot at about 1:53 p.m. She was wearing a trench coat and a backpack and armed with a long rifle, Finner said.
"Once she entered, at some point, she began to fire," Finner said.
The two off-duty officers who were working an extra job at Lakewood Church spotted the woman and shot back, killing her, Finner said. One of the off-duty officers is a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agent who is 38 years old with four years of service. The other off-duty officer is an HPD officer who is 28 years old with two years of service.
Finner said he couldn't confirm if the child and the man were shot by the off-duty officers or the woman.
"I don't want to speculate on that, but what I would say is if it was, unfortunately, and that female, that suspect put that baby in danger, I'm going to put that blame on her," Finner said.
Finner said before the woman died, she mentioned she had a bomb. A bomb squad searched the church along with her vehicle and backpack and found no evidence of explosives.
Finner said she also sprayed some substance. A HAZMAT team, decontamination team and rescue team checked the property to make sure there was no risk to the public.
"We're going to take our time to ensure any issue, any risk we see is properly vetted," Houston Fire Department Chief Sam Peña said. "Right now, I can safely say we have not found anything that is of concern to our community or to this location, but we're going to take our time to ensure that we look at every aspect."
This entire incident happened in between the English and Spanish services at Lakewood Church.
Pastor Joel Osteen stood beside Mayor John Whitmire, Finner and Peña as they updated the public about what happened at his church, and when it was his time to speak, he said he was devastated.
"We don't understand why things happen," Osteen said. "It could have been a lot worse."
The Southwest Freeway service road near Lakewood Church was shut down for several hours while law enforcement investigated and made sure people who were inside the church were safe.
A reunification center was set up at a nearby Life Time Fitness for people who couldn't find their loved ones.
The motive for the shooting is unknown.
The off-duty officers will be placed on administrative leave while an investigation into the shooting takes place.
Witnesses reactions
A woman said she and others were escorted out of the church by several law enforcement agencies -- including the FBI.
She said she was leaving the service and pastor Joel Osteen was greeting people on the second floor when she heard the shots. That's when she said people started running.
As she was trying to get out, she said she saw a person pointing a gun while standing near the entrance to the church and that's when she knew she needed to get away.
"I turned around and started running with the rest of the people," she said. "We hid about 10 adults in a closet and there was one child in there."
A woman from Florida said it was her first time at the church. She said lost her phone during the melee but was able to stay calm until she got it back.
A young boy who was with his dance group describes running to a nearby bathroom during the shooting.
Listen to more reactions from witnesses here.
Texas leaders release statements on Lakewood Church shooting
After hearing the news of the shooting at Lakewood Church, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott released the following statement:
“Our hearts are with those impacted by today’s tragic shooting and the entire Lakewood Church community in Houston. Places of worship are sacred. I have been in contact with Mayor Whitmire and offered the full support and resources of the State of Texas, including Department of Public Safety officers and Texas Rangers, to help this community and help bring swift justice to the criminal who committed this heinous act. Join Cecilia and me in praying for this community during this difficult time and for the brave men and women in blue who acted quickly to respond to this tragedy.”
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo released a statement saying, "My heart goes out to the congregation and all affected, and I am angered at the fact that the alleged shooter seems to have brought a young child with her who now has terrible injuries.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg posted the following message to X:
