A female shooter opened fire in Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Texas

In this screen grab taken from video provided by KTRK-TV ABC13, authorities respond to a shooting at Lakewood Church, the Houston megachurch of celebrity pastor Joel Osteen, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024.
In this screen grab taken from video provided by KTRK-TV ABC13, authorities respond to a shooting at Lakewood Church, the Houston megachurch of celebrity pastor Joel Osteen, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. | KTRK-TV ABC13 via Associated Press
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

A woman walked into a popular megachurch on Sunday with a gun and opened fire, leaving one boy critically injured, according to Texas authorities.

The shooting happened at 1:53 p.m. at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. The woman, reportedly described to be in her early 30s, entered the church wearing a trench coat and backpack with a 4- or 5-year-old boy and began to open fire.

A man was left injured and the shooter was killed by two law enforcement officers who were off duty at the time, according to CNN.

The two officers were working an extra job at Lakewood Church and spotted the woman before shooting and killing her, according to KHOU.

The New York Times reported that the boy who entered the church with the woman was also shot, though it is unclear by whom. He was reported to be in critical condition at a hospital.

Chief Troy Finner of the Houston Police said, “She had a long gun and it could have been a lot worse.”

Finner reportedly disclosed that the suspect said that she had a bomb.

“Once she went down, officers reported back to us that she threatened that she had a bomb,” Finner said. “So we searched her vehicle, our bomb squad, and also the backpack (she brought). No explosives were found, but she was also spraying some type of substance on the ground.”

Osteen said in a press conference after the shooting that he feels like he’s “in a fog,” according to the Houston Chronicle.

“I’m in a fog, but we’re going to stay strong,” Osteen said. “There are forces of evil, but the forces of God are stronger than that.”

Finner commended the two off-duty officers that stepped up to protect those inside the building, saying, “I want to commend those officers. She had a long gun and it could have been a lot worse. ... But they stepped up and they did their job, and I want to thank them for that.”