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Lakewood Church shooting: Woman with child in tow opens fire inside Joel Osteen's Texas megachurch

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Lakewood Church shooting: Woman with child in tow opens fire inside Joel Osteen's Texas megachurch

Two people were injured and one suspect was killed during a shooting at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church on Sunday afternoon, Texas authorities say. 

During a press conference, police chief Troy Finner said that the shooting began at 1:53 p.m. It happened at around the time that the Spanish language church service was scheduled to start.

The suspect, who was a woman, entered the church with a long rifle. She was wearing a backpack and a trench coat, and was accompanied by a “small child, approximately 4 to 5 years old,” Finner said.

After she began shooting, off-duty officers at the scene “engaged” the woman and returned fire. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Two people were shot during the shooting at Lakewood Church, police say. (KHOU)

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Police said that two people were injured, including a 57-year-old man who was shot in the leg. The child that the shooter came with was also injured and remains in critical condition. 

Finner also disclosed that the suspect mentioned that she had a bomb.

“Once she went down, officers reported back to us that she threatened that she had a bomb,” the police chief explained. “So we searched her vehicle, our bomb squad, and also the backpack [she brought].”

Police car at scene

Police chief Troy Finner said that the female shooter is dead. (KHOU)

“No explosives were found, but she was also spraying some type of substance on the ground.”

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Police said the shooting appears to be isolated and they believe there is no further threat to the public.

During the press conference, senior pastor Joel Osteen thanked law enforcement and said that he was “devastated” by the shooting. 

“We don’t understand why all these things happened, but we know God’s in control,” Osteen said.

“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,” he continued. “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.”

SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING 7 IN ILLINOIS KILLED HIMSELF WHEN FOUND BY US MARSHALS IN TEXAS: POLICE

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Two police officers walking at scene

Off-duty Houston police officers shot the female suspect at Lakewood Church, authorities say. (KHOU)

The death of the shooter was first announced by Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez earlier that afternoon.

“Correction: shooter is down,” Gonzalez wrote on social media. “But it does not appear that@HCSOTexas deputies fired shots; other agencies fired.”

“We continue to assist in a methodical/thorough search of the complex.”

At around 2:10 p.m. CT, Gonzalez announced that there were “possible shots fired at/or around Lakewood Church.” Less than an hour later, Texas police confirmed that the scene was Lakewood Church.

Police later advised that anyone with missing family members should head to the “family reunification location” at Greenway Plaza’s Life Time Fitness gym.

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Lakewood Church surrounded by police

Texas authorities arrived to investigate an active shooting at Lakewood Church. (KRIV)

Lakewood Church confirmed on X that there was a shooting and asked that users “please pray for Lakewood and our community.”

In a press release sent to local outlets, Governor Greg Abbott called the shooting “tragic.”

“Our hearts are with those impacted by today’s tragic shooting and the entire Lakewood Church community in Houston,” Abbott said. “Places of worship are sacred.”

Texas police cruisers

No fatalities were reported from the shooter besides the suspect. (KHOU)

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and the Houston Police Department for comment.

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Fox News Digital’s Brooke Curto contributed to this report.

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Southwest

Who is Mark Kelly? What to know about the senator from Arizona and possible VP pick

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Who is Mark Kelly? What to know about the senator from Arizona and possible VP pick

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat, is rumored to be under consideration to serve as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential election.

Kelly, a 60-year-old former astronaut and U.S. Navy captain, has represented Arizona in the U.S. Senate since 2020.

Kelly was elected to the Senate in a 2020 special election that was held following the death of longtime Republican Sen. John McCain in 2018, defeating incumbent GOP Sen. Martha McSally.

A native of Orange, New Jersey, Kelly graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 1986. He later attended the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, receiving a Master of Science in aeronautical engineering in 1994.

ARIZONA SENATE CANDIDATE SAYS MARK KELLY WOULD GIVE HARRIS ‘JOLT’ AS VP

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Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., speaks with reporters on July 25, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

Kelly became a naval aviator in 1987 and was assigned to Attack Squadron 115 in Japan. He made two deployments and flew nearly 40 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm.

He received an array of commendations for his service in the military and retired from the Navy in October 2011. At the time, he wrote in a post on social media, “From the day I entered the United States Merchant Marine Academy in the summer of 1982 to the moment I landed the Space Shuttle Endeavour three weeks ago, it has been my privilege to advance the ideals that define the United States of America.”

Along with his identical twin brother, Scott Kelly, he was selected by NASA to serve as a space shuttle pilot in 1996.

Kelly, who took numerous trips beyond Earth’s atmosphere during his illustrious career as an astronaut, has reportedly logged more than 54 days in space.

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Kelly, an independent turned Democrat in 2018, is the husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., who he married in 2007.

Following the attempted assassination attempt of Giffords in 2012, Kelly shied away from public life to assist with his wife’s recovery efforts.

He is also the author of multiple books, including one he co-authored with Giffords in 2012 titled, “Enough: Our Fight to Keep America Safe from Gun Violence.”

HARRIS EDGES CLOSER TO TRUMP IN NEW POLL CONDUCTED AFTER BIDEN’S WITHDRAWAL

Mark-Kelly,-Kamala-Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to swear in Sen. Mark Kelly, D-riz., with his wife Gabrielle Giffords, center, in the old Senate Chamber for the Ceremonial Swearing on Jan. 3, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

In January 2013, Kelly and Giffords launched a political action committee named Americans for Responsible Solutions. The organization’s mission promoted what it believed to be solutions to gun violence with elected lawmakers and members of the public.

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He won re-election to the Senate in November 2022, when he defeated Republican nominee Blake Masters.

Kelly is not the first astronaut to be elected to Congress. Others include John Glenn, Harrison Schmitt and Jack Swigert.

He is viewed by many political strategists, primarily Democrats, as a safe move for Harris as she considers who will appear alongside her on the November ballot.

Three days after President Biden announced his decision to step aside in the 2024 race for the White House, Kelly fielded questions from reporters in the hallways of the U.S. Capitol, where he was asked whether he would accept the vice presidential nomination.

“This is not about me. This is about the future of this country,” Kelly said at the time.

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Kamala Harris speaks at her Presidential Campaign headquarters in Wilmington

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at her presidential campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, on July 22, 2024. (Erin Schaff/Pool via REUTERS)

“This is a choice between Kamala Harris, who’s an experienced prosecutor, vice president, U.S. senator, [California] attorney general, and a guy who’s a convicted felon,” Kelly added.

Kelly also predicted, following Biden’s drop out, that Harris “is going to win” the state of Arizona in the 2024 election.



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Los Angeles, Ca

Iconic Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel to light up for Team USA

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Iconic Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel to light up for Team USA

The iconic Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier will light up nightly during the Paris Olympics to cheer on Team USA beginning Friday.

The nightly light display will feature the five colored rings to symbolize the Olympic rings, a 90-foot-tall waving American flag to celebrate Team USA, a French flag for the current host country and the American flag to represent the games returning to the United States, specifically Los Angeles in 2028.  

The Ferris wheel will be lit up from sunset until 12:30 a.m.

The Pacific Wheel is the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel, featuring 174,000 LED lights mounted on its 40 spokes and two hubs. The wheel’s lighting system features 16.7 million color value combinations to display dynamic, custom, computer-generated lighting entertainment, according to a news release.

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Visitors can visit the theme park from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. to catch a ride on the nine-story carnival ride, which takes riders to heights of more than 130 feet over the Pacific Ocean.

If you can’t make it out to the Santa Monica Pier yourself, Pacific Park offers an online stream of the Ferris wheel.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Security guard attacked, hit with skateboard in Santa Ana

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Security guard attacked, hit with skateboard in Santa Ana

Police asked the public for help this week in their search for a man who attacked a Target security guard with a skateboard in Santa Ana last month.

The altercation occurred on June 10, when the security guard asked a trespassing suspect to leave the store located at 1441 W. 17th Street, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.

“The suspect struck the victim multiple times with his skateboard, causing injuries, and then fled the store,” the Police Department stated in a post on Instagram.

Police are searching for a suspect following an assault on a security guard in Santa Ana. (Santa Ana Police Department)

Video embedded on the post shows the suspect swinging a skateboard at the guard and then running out of the store.

The attacker was described as a White man between 18 and 25 years old. He had a thin build, curly blonde hair, and was wearing a black sweatshirt, light-colored shirt, blue plaid shorts, black socks and black shoes.

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Anyone with information was asked to call police at 714-245-8441.

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