What to know about shooting at Joel Osteen's megachurch in Texas during Sunday services

HOUSTON -- A woman's motive for opening occurrence successful personage pastor Joel Osteen's megachurch was unclear Monday, a time aft the shooting sent worshippers rushing for information successful betwixt engaged services.

Police accidental 2 off-duty officers moving information astatine Lakewood Church, 1 of the largest megachurches successful the U.S., changeable and killed the suspect. Two different radical were besides changeable and wounded, including a 5-year-old boy who entered the religion with the shooter and was taken to a infirmary successful captious condition.

Osteen said the unit could person been worse if the shooting had happened during the earlier and larger precocious Sunday greeting service.

Here's what to cognize astir the shooting:

HOW DID THE SHOOTING UNFOLD?

The dependable of gunshots wrong the monolithic church, which was formerly the location of the NBA's Houston Rockets, startled worshippers conscionable earlier 2 p.m. Sunday, astir the clip galore radical were getting acceptable to aboriginal ticker the Super Bowl.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner did not place the fishy astatine a quality league Sunday portion lasting adjacent Osteen. He described the shooter arsenic a pistillate successful her aboriginal to mid-30s, saying she entered the religion wearing a trenchcoat and backpack and equipped with a agelong rifle, though helium did not specify the nonstop weapon.

Finner said the pistillate entered the religion with the young lad but did not picture their relationship. The pistillate began shooting and was confronted by 2 off-duty officers, a Houston constabulary serviceman and an cause with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, who returned fire. Finner said the pistillate told officers aft being changeable determination was a weaponry but a hunt recovered nary explosives.

He and different authorities astatine the country praised the officers for taking down the shooter.

"She had a agelong gun, and it could person been worse," Finner said. "But they stepped up and did their job."

WHO ARE THE VICTIMS?

Authorities person not released the identities of anyone progressive successful the shooting.

It was unclear however the the young boy, who was taken to a Houston children's hospital, was struck by gunfire. When asked whether the lad was changeable by 1 of the off-duty officers returning occurrence connected the suspect, Finner said helium did not privation to speculate but added: "That female, that suspect, enactment that babe successful danger. I'm going to enactment that blasted connected her."

Authorities described the different unfortunate arsenic a antheral successful his 50s who was wounded successful his hip.

HOW DID WORSHIPPERS INSIDE REACT?

Alan Guity, whose household is from Honduras, has been a subordinate of the religion since 1998. He said helium heard gunshots portion resting wrong the church's sanctuary arsenic his parent was moving arsenic an usher.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom. And I yelled, 'Mom,'" helium said.

Guity, 35, said helium ran to his parent and they some laid level connected the level arsenic the gunfire continued. Guity said helium and his parent prayed and stayed connected the level for astir 5 minutes until idiosyncratic told them it was harmless to permission the building. As helium was led outside, Guity could spot radical were acrophobic and crying and looking for loved ones.

Guity said helium and his parent tried to calm radical down by worshiping and singing successful Spanish, "Move successful me, determination successful me. Touch my caput and my heart. Move wrong maine Holy Spirit."

WHO IS JOEL OSTEEN?

Osteen, 60, took the helm of Lakewood Church aft John Osteen, his begetter and the church's founding pastor, passed distant successful 1999. The religion has grown dramatically nether Joel Osteen and is regularly attended by 45,000 radical weekly, making it the third-largest megachurch successful the U.S., according to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

Osteen is simply a person of what is known arsenic the prosperity gospel, a content that God wants his followers to beryllium affluent and healthy. He is the writer of respective best-selling books, including, "Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living astatine Your Full Potential."

His televised services scope astir 100 countries and renovating his church's arena outgo astir $100 million.

After Hurricane Harvey flooded Houston successful 2017, Osteen opened his religion to those seeking structure aft societal media critics slammed the televangelist for not offering to location radical successful need.