Southwest
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 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.”
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.”
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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.
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.”
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.
Fox News Digital’s Brooke Curto contributed to this report.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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