News by email Donate

Suggestions

USA News

Joel Osteen says 'God is in control' after shooter opens fire in Lakewood Church

by Reuters Journalist
JOEL OSTEEN FEB 24.JPG - Banner image

Two off-duty law enforcement officers in Houston took down a woman who opened fire on Sunday at Lakewood Church, one of the largest evangelical churches in the U.S. led by televangelist Joel Osteen, police said.

A woman in her early 30s entered the megachurch shortly before 2 p.m. local time (2000 GMT), armed with a long rifle and accompanied by a child around 5 years old, and began firing, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner told reporters on Sunday.

Two off-duty officers, one a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agent and the other a Houston police officer, killed the shooter before she could kill anyone inside the church, which was preparing to host a Spanish-language service, Finner said.

Two people were injured, including the child who was with the shooter, Finner said. Officials said they were working to understand the child's relation to the shooter and the shooter's motive. Finner said he was not sure yet who shot the child in the crossfire.

The child was taken to Texas Children's Hospital and was in critical condition, officials said. A man in his fifties sustained a non-critical leg injury and was also being treated at a local hospital.

"She had a long gun, and it could have been a lot worse," Finner said.

The woman had threatened that she had a bomb, prompting authorities to search her backpack and vehicle, Finner said. They found no explosives.

The majority of mass shootings in the U.S. are carried out by men, making the apparent Houston attempt a rare case. The U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC), which studies all forms of targeted violence including mass casualty attacks, found in a 2023 report that 96% of mass attackers from 2016-2020 were male.

"Our hearts are with those impacted by today’s tragic shooting and the entire Lakewood Church community in Houston," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement.

Lakewood Church, which seats some 16,000 people, is led by Osteen and his wife and co-pastor Victoria Osteen.

"We don't understand why these things happen, but God's in control," Osteen told reporters on Sunday. "We're going to stay strong. We're going to continue to move forward."

The Houston church, located in the former sports arena for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association, accommodates over 40,000 worshipers over a weekend.

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate