Armed US woman opens fire on large church, injuring 5-year-old boy and man

Polls show that a majority of Americans support stricter gun controls. (representative)

Houston:

A woman opened fire on prominent American pastor Joel Osteen’s megachurch in Houston, Texas, injuring two people, including a five-year-old boy, police said on Sunday. The church is one of the largest religious sites in the United States.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said at a news conference that just before 2:00 p.m. (2000 GMT) the woman entered the non-denominational Christian church with her child armed with a long gun. .

Fenner said she started shooting after arriving at the church. She was killed when off-duty police officers working security at the church, which was converted into a former stadium and had a capacity of around 16,800, returned fire.

“A five-year-old child was struck and is in critical condition at our local hospital,” Fenner said, while a man in his 50s “who I don’t believe has any connection to this incident” was being treated. He was treated for a gunshot wound to his leg.

“When I entered the shelter, I saw people running around and saying: They’re shooting, they’re shooting, we can hear gunshots,” a witness told local TV station KHOU.

“We tried to open some doors in the hallway but they were locked. Some people went out to get their cars but others like me didn’t know where to go.”

She said a church volunteer hid them in a bathroom, piled furniture against the door and warned them not to move.

“There are children on the third and fourth floors and parents are worried about their children. We leave the matter in God’s hands,” she added.

Mass shootings are common in the United States, where there are more guns than people and about one-third of adults own a gun.

Polls show a majority of Americans favor tighter gun controls, but the powerful gun lobby and mobilizing voters who support the country’s strong gun-rights culture have repeatedly blocked lawmakers from taking action.

Osteen, whose services are broadcast live to millions of people each week, has largely sought to keep the church apolitical. He said he was “shocked” by the attack and described himself as “a bit confused”.

The 60-year-old said the shooting happened between services and just before the Spanish service began, adding: “I can only imagine if this had happened during the 11 o’clock service… We thank God for that That reason.”

“We don’t understand why these things happen, but we know God is in control… There are forces of evil, but the force that supports us, the force of God, is stronger than that,” he told a news conference. Adding that he would pray for the victims and the shooter.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)